Moondance
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: Saga of Olivia and the Doctor: After spending time with her mother, Olivia Felton meets up with the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River by invitation, but when the reunion turns into a tragedy...then a reunion again, the four have the burden of the Doctor's death on their shoulders. What happens if he finds out, and where will the couple stand when the dust settles?
1. Invitations

**A/N:** welcome whovians to the third installment to the Saga of Olivia and the Doctor! for my new readers, if you haven't read Highwayman and Gravity I suggest you go read those first before you read this one...cause you'll be lost. for my returning readers, welcome back! and thank you for keeping up with me! right then, allons-y!

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Invitations**_

"When is the Doctor coming back for you?" Joyce asked Olivia as she sat at the table, Olivia's mother at the sink, washing some dishes.

"Sick of me already, mom?" Olivia smirked, lifting her plate and taking it to the sink to help Joyce with the dishes.

"Of course not," Joyce smirked back. "I was just wondering. It's been a while since he left you here after your honeymoon."

"I told him I wanted to visit with you longer than an _hour_, so he left me here to have some mom time," Olivia smiled. "And it's been long enough that I got to Aaron a couple of times, too."

"That's what I mean," Joyce sighed, making Olivia frown at her in wonder, Joyce drying her hands with a dish towel and facing Olivia as she dried the dishes. "He married you, took you on your honeymoon then dumped you here saying he'd be right back."

"He didn't _dump_ me here, mom," Olivia sighed, putting the dish she'd been drying away. "I just told you I wanted a visit with you."

"Then why didn't he _stay_ to visit with me too?"

"Because you're _my_ mom. Look, I know you're worried about me and him, but two months is nothing, compared to the four years I waited for him the first time. At least this time I know he's coming _back_."

"Do you?"

Olivia froze and turned a glare to her mother, ready to start an argument, but a knock at the door drew their attention to it.

"_I'll_ get it," Olivia ground out before marching toward the door to open it, revealing the mailman standing at the door.

"Olivia Felton?" he asked.

"That's me," she frowned in wonder then noticed the box in his hands with a letter attached to it before he handed it to her.

"Package for you," he smiled, making her smile back with a nod as she took the package and letter.

"Thanks," she smiled before he walked away and she shut the door, turning to head back into the kitchen.

"What's that?" Joyce wondered, finishing with the dishes as Olivia rummaged through a drawer for scissors and a letter opener.

"Not sure," she replied, sitting at the table and using the scissors on the box first, setting the letter aside as Joyce sat at the table as well.

Olivia pulled the box open and grinned at the sight of a brand new Silver Sonic Screwdriver inside, sitting delicately in the packaging inside.

"I thought you already had one of those," Joyce recalled as Olivia lifted the wand reverently to examine it.

"Lost the last one," Olivia replied, looking to the letter. "Melted in a Cyberman's head. Long story."

Olivia frowned in wonder at the letter. It was card sized with several stamps, telling her it had been around. But what caught her attention was the color…TARDIS blue, and there was a number at the lip of the seal of the envelope.

"What's the 'two' for?" Joyce wondered as Olivia used the letter opener on it.

"I don't know," she murmured, deftly as she pulled the card from the envelope and read it, smirking, "Date, time and map reference in a TARDIS blue envelope. Oh, Doctor, you _still_ surprise me."

"What's that mean?" Joyce frowned as Olivia flipped her Sonic in the air before catching it perfectly.

"It means, I'm gonna go meet the Doctor," she smirked, standing and heading to the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Why doesn't he just pick you up?" Joyce wondered.

"Stop questioning my husband's motives, mom!" Olivia called without malice as she hurried up the stairs to pack, muttering, "I think even _he_ doesn't know what his motives are."

* * *

_Utah..._

Olivia climbed off the bus and looked around the desert she found herself in. She turned to thank the bus driver before he drove away and as the bus cleared her, her eyes locking with a pair of green eyes staring at her from under a wide-brimmed Stetson.

"Goin' my way, little lady?" the Doctor smirked in a Southern accent, standing next to a red and white station wagon.

"That depends," Olivia smirked back in a Southern accent as well, sauntering across the street toward him. "I'm lookin' for my husband. Tall, dark, handsome, pretty brilliant. Seen him around?"

"Hm, sounds familiar," he smiled back as she stopped in front of him.

"You kinda look like him, ya know?" she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck to lean into him as his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer.

"Well, that certainly makes it easier for me to sweep you off your feet and steal you away from him," he smirked back, his normal accent returning.

Olivia grinned before shoving herself to her tiptoes so that her lips connected with his and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She couldn't help but frown in wonder at the feeling of the kiss as it continued. Desperation, sorrow and regret. It was so potent she had to break the kiss to look him in the eye.

"Theta, what's wrong?" she questioned, still frowning and his own frown of confusion fell away.

"I just…missed you," he smiled and moved in for another kiss but she placed her fingers on his lips, making him frown again.

"Ok, I know you said you'd _almost_ never lie to me, but you could start the _truth_ part right about now."

He sighed again and leaned back on the hood on the station wagon, taking her hands in his and pulling her closer.

"I know," he grumbled, fiddling with her fingers before looking up at her. "It's…been longer for me than it has for you."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"I'm _older_, Liv. _Much_ older. Over one thousand."

"And you've never looked better. I'm suspecting you're trying to distract me from what's _really_ bothering you."

"I can't tell you."

Olivia frowned in confusion and breathed, "Why?"

"You're gonna find out soon enough, my love," he replied, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek as she still frowned at him in absolute confusion. "And I'm sorry…but it's going to get hard for you."

"Theta—?"

"Howdy!" he grinned behind her, making her frown in wonder and turn around to see Amy and Rory coming toward them, but the Doctor murmured into her ear, "I know this isn't over, just bare with me."

"Doctor!" Amy grinned. "Olivia!"

"It's the Ponds!" Olivia smiled, hugging Rory as Amy hugged Amy.

"Someone's been a busy boy, then, eh?" Amy grinned at the Doctor.

"Did you see me?" the Doctor grinned back, making Olivia frown.

"Of course!" Amy replied.

"Stalker!"

"Flirt!"

"Husband," Rory cut in.

"Rory the Roman!" the Doctor grinned, hugging him as Olivia hugged Amy.

"Did I miss something?" she wondered. "When did you see him?"

"Oh, he's been causing trouble in history to get our attention," Amy replied as they both frowned at each other. "Didn't you see him?"

"I…wasn't really looking," Olivia admitted.

"Nice hat," Rory smiled at the Doctor.

"I wear a Stetson now," the Doctor smirked. "Stetsons are cool."

They all jumped when a gunshot sounded, sending the Stetson on his head flying off it before they all looked behind him to see River blowing the end of the barrel of her revolver before shoving it into her holster.

"Hello, Sweetie," she smirked.

"River!" Olivia grinned, running toward her and hugging her tightly.

"Good to see you, Olivia," River smiled, hugging her in return.

"Right!" the Doctor called, but he sulked over his hat. "Everyone in the car! I'll drive!"

"No you won't," Olivia retorted, snatching the keys from his hand when he held them up. "_I'll_ drive. Everyone in the car!"

* * *

_Later..._

"Right, then, where are we?" River asked the Doctor as the two of them and Olivia sat in a booth at an old time diner, both holding books. "Have we done Easter Island yet?"

"Um…" the Doctor hummed, flipping through his book as River flipped through hers, Olivia peeking at it over his shoulder but he pulled it back to frown at her, making her stick her tongue out at him before he looked back to his book. "Yes! I've got Easter Island."

"They _worshipped_ you there," River smiled, making Olivia frown between them in wonder. "Have you seen the statues?"

"Jim the Fish," the Doctor continued.

"Oh! Jim the Fish! How is he?" River grinned, as Amy and Rory slid into the booth with them with drinks.

"Still building his dam," the Doctor smirked, wrapping an arm around Olivia's shoulders as she frowned between them.

"I…I don't get it," she whispered. "When did you get that book and when did you do all of this, and _why_ didn't you tell me?"

"It'll be explained later, Liv," he whispered into her ear before kissing her temple. "I promise."

"Sorry, what are you two doing?" Rory wondered.

"They're both time travelers, so they never meet in the right order," Amy replied. "They're syncing their diaries."

"So, what's happening?" Olivia questioned him, impatiently. "Obviously you're up to something."

The Doctor smiled at her and she could tell he _knew_ she wanted explanations.

"I've been running," he began, threading his fingers through Olivia's hair, absentmindedly. "Faster than I've ever run, and I've been running my whole life. Now it's time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me."

"Ok," Amy replied without hesitation but Olivia felt a weight to his words and exchanged a glance with River who seemed to feel the same thing. "We're here. What's up?"

"A picnic," he smiled. "And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere…brand new."

"Where?" Amy asked.

"Space," he smirked. "1969."

* * *

_The Shore of a Lake..._

"Salud!" they all cheered, clinking their glasses of wine, the Doctor holding the bottle.

"So, _when_ are we going to 1969?" Rory wondered.

"And since when do you drink wine?" Amy wondered as they all sipped at theirs.

"I'm one thousand, one hundred and three. I must've drunk it sometime," the Doctor replied.

Olivia nearly spit out her sip before looking at him with huge eyes.

"What?!" she chirped, making him frown at her from his reclined position.

"I told you I was older," he recalled.

"Yeah, but when you said _over_ one thousand I thought one thousand _and_ three, not…another _hundred_ years after that!"

"Oh…sorry," he muttered before taking a drink as Olivia frowned at him in absolute confusion before he spit the wine out, making her roll her eyes at him when he sneered, "Ew! It's horrid! I thought it would taste more like the gums."

"I'm with Olivia," Amy agreed. "You were nine hundred and _eight_ the last time we saw you."

"And _you've_ put on a couple of pounds. I wasn't going to mention it," the Doctor retorted.

Amy giggled before looking up and she seemed distracted, making Olivia frown but she said nothing.

"Who's that?" Amy muttered.

"Who's who?" Rory wondered and when she looked at him she shook her head, taking a sip of her wine.

"Sorry, what?" she wondered.

"You said you saw something?" Olivia prompted.

"No, I didn't," Amy frowned in wonder, making Olivia frown as well.

Olivia gave a squeak when the Doctor grabbed her around her waist and pulled her against him, making her giggle when she landed.

"The moon!" he grinned, pointing to the moon showing itself early in the daylight sky over the lake. "Look at it! Of course, you lot did a lot more than _look_, didn't you? Big, silvery thing in the sky, you couldn't resist it. Quite right."

"The moon landing was in '69," Rory recalled. "Is that where we're going?"

"No," the Doctor murmured as Olivia craned her neck to look at him as he spoke. "A lot more happens in '69 than anyone remembers." Olivia frowned as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as he resumed, "Human beings…I thought I'd never get done saving you."

She smiled when he entwined their fingers in front of her, his chin dipping down into her hair to press soft kisses to her neck. Her grip tightened on his hands as she found their telepathic bond.

"_My love, what's wrong_," she asked him, silently. "_I'm getting really nervous_."

"_I know_," he replied. "_You've always been perceptive, Liv. It's one of the things I love about you._"

Rory suddenly stirred, looking to the hill behind them and directing everyone's gaze to the van that had stopped there. The Doctor gently nudged Olivia to stand, which she did, along with everyone else, and he waved to an old man that now stood outside the van and waved back.

"Who's he?" Amy questioned the Doctor.

"Oh, my god," River breathed, looking to the lake and turning everyone's attention to it.

"What…the…?" Olivia trailed off as they all stared at the astronaut standing in the knee deep water at the shoreline of the lake.

"You all need to stay back," the Doctor ordered, gripping Olivia's hand and pulling her ahead a few steps before letting it go and turning to face his friends. "Whatever happens now, you do _not_ interfere. Clear? River, keep an eye on Olivia." He looked to Olivia as she frowned in wide-eyed question and terror as the astronaut trudged out of the water. "You're going to have to be strong, Liv. Promise me."

"I…I promise," she whispered and fought the urge to head after him as he turned to march toward the astronaut.

"That's an astronaut," Rory stated the obvious, none of them taking their eyes off the Doctor. "That's an _Apollo_ astronaut in a lake."

They all stood, frozen in their spots as they watched at the Doctor, who seemed to be speaking to the astronaut before he lowered his head, River coming up next to Olivia to take her arm, feeling her trembling.

"What's he doing?" Amy whispered as the astronaut's hand came up.

They all jumped when a gunshot sounded, the Doctor falling back with a green blast to his chest.

"Doctor!" Olivia shouted as she and Amy both tried to run to him but River held Olivia back, Rory stopping Amy.

"The Doctor said stay back!" River reminded them both just as another shot rang out and the Time Lord stumbled back again.

"River! Let me go!" Olivia screamed, struggling to be free.

They all froze when the Doctor fell to his knees and she could see the familiar golden glow of his hands, signaling his regeneration.

"I'm sorry," she saw him say before they all saw his regeneration begin…but the astronaut shot him again, sending him to the ground.

"_No!_" Olivia screamed, all four of them launching into a run toward him as the astronaut walked away, back into the lake.

They all gathered around him, Olivia landing in the sand near his head as Amy slid next to her and River pulled out her handheld to scan him. All she got was a flatline, making her look up at Olivia as tears welled in her eyes before she looked back at the Doctor in disbelief and despair. River holstered her handheld as she stood and pulled out her gun to fire at the retreating astronaut until her gun was empty.

"Of course not," River murmured, catching Olivia's hearing but she said nothing as her focus remained on the lifeless Doctor.

"Theta," Olivia whispered, shuffling in the sand to lift his head and set it in her lap, stroking his face gently as Amy sobbed next to her. "You promised you wouldn't leave me alone. You promised."

"He _can't_ be dead," Amy sobbed, curled into a ball as she rocked back and forth next to him. "This isn't possible."

"Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle," River explained. "His body was already dead. He didn't make it to the next one."

"Maybe he's a clone or a duplicate or something," Amy insisted.

"I believe I can save you some time," the old man from the van said, suddenly standing right next to them holding a gas can. "That most definitely is the Doctor. And he is most definitely dead." He set the can down, saying, "He said you'd need this."

"Gasoline?" Rory asked.

"A Time Lord's body is a miracle, even a dead one," River replied through sniffles. "There are empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave him here, or _anywhere_."

Amy uncurled herself and set her head on his chest, still sobbing as Olivia stared down at him, stroking his hair and face.

"Wake up," Olivia shuddered, her hands on either side of his head, fisting his hair. "Wake up, you idiot. _Wake up_!"

"What do we do, Rory?" Amy sobbed as Olivia lowered her head over the Doctor's to sob as well.

"We're his friends," River replied her voice thick with emotion, lifting the gas can. "We do what the Doctor's friends always do: As we're told."

"There's a boat," Rory reported, noticing the rowboat on the shoreline. "If we're gonna do this, let's do it properly."

"Why, River?" Olivia breathed, making River look to her as she lifted her head, glaring at the blonde through her tears. "Why didn't you let me go to him?"

"Don't do this, Olivia," River warned, but Olivia gently moved the Doctor's head from her lap and stood to march toward River.

"I could have _saved_ him. Why didn't you _let_ me?!" she ground out, shoving River's shoulder and making her stumble. Rory instantly wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist, pinning her arms to her sides as he held her back.

"The Doctor told us not to interfere!" he reminded her, struggling against Olivia as she fought to break free.

"And since _when_ do you and me _ever_ do what he tells us, River, huh?!" Olivia spat.

"_Always_!" River shot back. "We just don't _think_ we do! We would follow him to the ends of the Earth, but the only way we've gotten this far is if we _listen_ to him and you know it!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Amy shouted, and Olivia finally shoved Rory away but didn't charge at River as she wanted, choosing to glare at the other woman instead. "The Doctor wouldn't want this!"

Olivia lowered her glare from River and nodded in agreement before murmuring, "I'm…sorry. I just…"

"I know," River nodded, stepping toward her to wrap an arm around her, still holding the gas can as Olivia turned to sob into her shoulder. "Me too."

* * *

_Sunset..._

Olivia stared at the flames that engulfed the boat with the Doctor's body aboard, tears still streaming down her face. She felt as helpless as she had when he'd been locked up in the Pandorica, but the difference now was there was no way he was coming back. There was no box to unlock. No way to get him back. He was gone, and it was tearing her up inside.

"Olivia," River whispered from behind her and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Knowing it was River's she lifted a hand to grasp her fingers, keeping them on her shoulder as she murmured, "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked in a raw voice, not looking away from the burning boat.

"Just follow me," River repeated, her grip lightly tightening on her shoulder.

Olivia sniffled and turned to follow River toward the old man that had given them the gasoline.

"Who are you?" River asked him. "Why did you come?"

"The same reason as you," he replied, pulling a blue envelope from his jacket and holding it up. River and Olivia glanced at each other before pulling their similar envelopes from their pockets.

"Three and five," Olivia whispered, reading the numbers on them as they all stared at the man in wonder.

"Doctor Song," he greeted. "Olivia, Amy, Rory. I'm Canton Everett Delaware III. Won't be seeing you again, but _you'll_ be seeing _me_."

Without another word he placed his baseball cap on his head and turned to head back to his van as River and Olivia turned to Amy and Rory.

"Five," Olivia said.

"Sorry, what?" Rory asked in wonder.

"The Doctor numbered the envelopes," she explained.

* * *

_Later at the Diner..._

"You got four," Olivia explained. "River got three, I got two, Canton got five."

"So?" Rory wondered as they walked into the diner.

"So, where's one?" River wondered.

"Exactly," Olivia nodded.

"What, you think he invited someone else?" Rory wondered.

"He _must_ have," River insisted. "He planned all of this, down to the last detail."

"Will you three shut up? It doesn't matter," Amy breathed.

"He was up to something," Olivia continued.

"He's dead," Amy breathed.

"What did he mean by 'Space. 1969.'?"

"You're still talking but it doesn't matter," Amy told them, bitterly.

"Hey, it mattered to _him_," Rory reminded her.

"So it matters to _us_," River added.

"He's dead," Amy whispered again.

"But he still needs us," River reminded her as Olivia looked around the diner, River and Rory stepping toward Amy. "I know, Amy, _I _know. But right now, we have to focus."

"River, look!" Olivia called, staring at the blue envelope on one of the tables and she ran toward it to pick it up to examine it and Rory went to the server behind the counter.

"Excuse me, who was sitting over there?" he asked.

"Some guy," he replied.

"The Doctor _knew_ he was coming to his death, so he sent out messages," River said as they all crowded around the table. "When you know it's the end, who do you call?"

"Your friends, people you trust," Rory replied.

"Number one," Olivia read on the envelope. "Who did he trust the most?"

The door at the back of the diner with Elvis painted on it opened, catching everyone's attention and they all stared in shock and disbelief at who stepped through the door. The Doctor looked up and grinned, chewing on a straw, and pointed to all of them in greeting.

"This is cold," River blurted. "Even by _your_ standards, this is _cold_."

"Or 'Hello!' as people used to say," the Doctor retorted, still smiling and now holding his straw in his hand.

"Doctor?" Amy murmured.

"I just popped out to get my special straw," he explained. "It adds more fizz."

Amy stepped toward him, circling him and he circled her in confusion as she smiled in a breath, "You're ok. How can you be ok?"

"Hey, of course I'm ok," he frowned, wrapping his arms around her to hug her close, sensing she needed it. "I'm _always_ ok. I'm the King of Ok. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title." He let go of Amy to step toward Rory, hugging him as he said, "Rory the Roman! That's a good title! Hello, Rory." He let him go and turned to River, resuming, "And Doctor River Song. Oh, you bad, bad girl. What trouble have you got for me _this_ time?"

Without a word River slapped him across the face, the force of it sending his head whipping to the side and he looked surprised as he looked back at her.

"I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet?" he guessed, looking to her shocked and enraged expression.

"Yes, it is," she ground out and a nod.

"Good. Looking forward to that," he muttered before looking to Olivia who was staring at him as well and he straightened himself out. "Well, I suppose _you're_ gonna slap me too, eh?"

He braced himself by stiffening and shutting his eyes, tightly but when the blow never came he opened one eye to peek at her. She was just staring at him in confused shock, making him frown down at her.

"Liv, are you ok?" he hoped. "You look pale, and…have you been crying? Darling, what—?"

His question was cut off when Olivia grabbed his head and pulled him onto her lips, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer, her kiss desperate, making sure he was, in fact, real. When they pulled away with a smack she still said nothing as her arms wrapped around his chest to hug him, burying her face in his chest, refusing to let him go.

"And is this for something I haven't done yet?" he wondered.

"Yes," Olivia shuddered.

"Again…looking forward to that," he repeated.

"I don't understand," Rory confessed, making the Doctor look to him again. "How can you be here?"

"I was invited," the Doctor retorted, pulling his envelope from Olivia's hand. "Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise, it's a hell of a coincidence."

"River, what's going on?" Amy questioned.

"Amy, ask him what age he is," River ordered.

"That's a bit personal," the Doctor muttered.

"Everyone be quiet," Olivia shuddered. "I'm listening to hear his hearts."

"Liv, honestly, loving this, but I think you need to let go now," he murmured.

"Tell her," River ordered the Doctor. "Tell her what age you are."

"Nine hundred and nine," he replied, making Olivia hug him even tighter.

"Yeah, but you said you were—"

"So where does that leave _us_ then, huh?" River questioned him, interrupting Amy. "Jim the Fish? Have we done Jim the Fish yet?!"

"Who's Jim the Fish?" the Doctor smiled, intrigued by the name.

"I don't understand," Amy shook her head.

"Yeah, you do," Rory told her, gently.

"_I_ don't," the Doctor shot back. "What are we all doing here?"

"We've been recruited," Olivia finally spoke up, finally letting go of the Doctor but not stepping away from him as he looked down at her. "Something to do with space, 1969 and Canton Everett Delaware III."

"Recruited by who?" he asked her and she met his gaze, making him frown at the look in her eyes. There was apprehension, a conflict within her as she looked about ready to reply but remained silent. "_Who_, Liv?"

"Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe," River replied for her, making her look away from the Doctor as he looked to River.

"And who's that?" he asked her but she only gave a knowing, sad smile before replying with one word.

"Spoilers."

* * *

**A/N:** So, i didn't want Olivia to slap the Doctor like River even tho she probably would be pissed, but she's more happy to see him alive more than angry. anyway...reviews?


	2. Secrets

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Secrets**_

"1969, that's an easy one!" the Doctor grinned, running around the TARDIS console as Amy leaned on the railing facing away from it, River on another side watching the Doctor, Rory on another side and Olivia keeping her focus on operating the TARDIS. "Funny how some years are _easy_. Now, 1482…_full_ of glitches. Now then, Canton Everett Delaware III. That was his name, yeah?"

Olivia looked up to see Amy head down the stairs leading to the underside of the console but said nothing and didn't go after her.

"How many of those can there be? Well…three, I suppose," the Doctor finished before noticing River head after Amy, Olivia and Rory remaining with the Doctor.

"Rory," he asked, glancing to Olivia before asking, "Is everybody cross with me for some reason?"

"I'll find out," Rory replied, heading after Amy and River.

The Doctor looked to Olivia as she leaned on one side of the console. She was in deep thought, wondering why the Doctor had interacted with his past and _why_ he'd brought them all here in the first place. Why would he put them all through that? Watching him die. It made her stomach lurch as the image played again in her head.

"Liv?" the Doctor whispered, making her jump and whirl around to look at him with wide eyes. "You alright? You've been very quiet."

"Yeah," she nodded with a weak smile. "I just…have a lot of things on my mind."

"What things?" he asked with a frown, making her swallow and look to his bowtie in thought.

"Just…things," she shrugged evasively. "Stuff I don't really wanna talk about right now, Theta."

"You're hiding something from me, Olivia. Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because…I just can't, ok? I haven't lied to you about anything so just drop it, please?"

The Doctor heard the tremor in her voice as she lowered her gaze to their feet and sighed, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close and sigh, "Alright, Liv. I'm sorry. I'm just used to you telling me everything."

"I know," she whispered.

"I don't know what's going on with you four but I'm gonna find out soon," he promised, making her roll her eyes before he lowered his arms from around her and marched toward the end of the platform to look at the people under it. "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?!"

"Hey!" Olivia chirped as he stood and he looked to her in wonder as he went back to operating the TARDIS. "_I'm_ up here, ya know?"

"That's not what I meant," he smiled, sailing up next to her. "You've seen all my tricks."

"I sincerely doubt that, dear," she retorted with a smirk before she noticed the three from below come up the stairs. The Doctor ran around the console as River came up next to Olivia to lean back on it next to her. "Everybody on the same page?"

"Very nearly," River replied. "Amy's having a hard time with it."

"That doesn't surprise me," Olivia admitted, flipping a switch when it lit up and making it go dark again.

"You're dealing with it surprisingly well," River confessed.

"So are you."

"Yes, but I'm me, darling."

"And I'm me. I have to trust that Doctor knows what he's doing, both future and present." Olivia looked to River when she didn't respond to see her smirking back at her, making her frown as she asked, "What?"

"You never cease to amaze me, Mrs. Sigma," River smirked, knowingly.

Olivia scoffed before turning back to the console, replying, "Am I _that_ volatile in the future, Doctor Song?"

"Spoilers."

"Time isn't in a straight line," the Doctor began his explanation, pulling a lever on the console. "It's all bumpy-wumpy. There's _loads_ of boring stuff, like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons." He sneered as he grabbed a couple of levers and flipped them from their original positions before smiling, "But, now and then, there are _Saturdays_…big, temporal tipping points when anything's possible. The TARDIS can't resist them, like a moth to a flame." He stopped between Olivia and River glancing between them adoringly as he continued, "She loves a party, so I give her 1969 and NASA, because that's space in the 60s, and Canton Everett Delaware III…" He sailed toward another part of the console where the computer hung above it, resuming, "…and this is where she's pointing…"

He tapped a button on the screen as the four crowded around him.

"Washington D.C. April 8th 1969," Amy read aloud then asked, "So why haven't we landed?"

"Because that's not where we're going," the Doctor replied, making them frown at him.

"Oh," Rory chirped. "Where are we going?"

"Home!" the Doctor replied, sauntering around the console as he spoke. "Well you two are. Off you pop, and make babies. And you, Doctor Song, back to prison. And me and Liv? We're late for a biplane lesson in 1911. Or it could be knitting. Knitting or biplanes…one or the other."

He plopped down in the jump seat, making the four glance at each other before cautiously heading around the console to stare at him as he leaned his head into his hand then looked up at the group.

"What?" he questioned, irritably. "A mysterious summons…you think I'm just going to _go_? Who sent those messages?" He looked around at each of them, Amy, Rory and Olivia to his left, River to his right. "I know you know. I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that."

"You're going to have to trust _us_ this time," River explained, making the Doctor look up at her.

"Trust you? Sure," he retorted, standing and stepping toward her. "But, first of all, Doctor Song, just one thing…who are you?" River only stared at him as he continued, "You're someone from my future, guessing that, but who?"

She still said nothing as they only stared at each other.

"Ok," the Doctor tried. "Why are you in prison? Who did you kill? Now, I love a bad girl, me, but trust _you_? Seriously?"

"Trust _us_," Amy called, pulling Olivia closer to her and making Olivia look to her with wide eyes before looking to the Doctor and River.

"Ok," he said, looking to them and Olivia felt her heart sink at the look on River's face as he walked away, knowing she was hurt.

"You _have_ to do this and you can't ask why," Amy told him, making him frown between the two of them.

"Are you being threatened?" he questioned. "Is someone _making_ you say that?"

"No," Amy replied.

"You're lying," he shot back.

"She's not lying," Olivia assured him, making his eyes meet hers and he could see it in her eyes before he glanced between them.

"Swear to me," he ordered them. "Swear to me on something that matters."

Amy stared at him for a moment before giving a small smile and saying, "Fish fingers and custard."

The Doctor gave a smile before looking to Olivia and she whispered, "Gravity."

His eyes warmed as he glanced between them and smiled, "My life in your hands, girls."

He stepped away and the smiles instantly fell from their faces as Olivia headed toward River to hug her tightly. River hugged her in return, knowing Olivia had sensed her pain.

"So!" the Doctor called as he ran around the console. "Canton Everett Delaware III. Who's he?"

River and Olivia parted to head toward the computer where he stopped and they all looked at the screen.

"Ex-FBI," Olivia read. "Looks like he got kicked out."

"Why?" the Doctor asked.

"Problems with authority," she replied, then smirked, "I like him already."

"Six weeks after he left the bureau the president contacted him for a private meeting," River read aloud.

"1969. Who's president?" he asked.

"Nixon," Olivia couldn't help but scoff as River typed on the console focused on the computer.

"Richard Milhous Nixon," River read. "Vietnam, Watergate. There's some good stuff, too."

"Not enough," the Doctor argued.

"Hippie!"

"Archeologist."

Olivia couldn't help but smirk and shake her head as the Doctor began running around the console.

"Ok, since I don't know what I'm getting into this time, for once, I'm being discreet…putting the engines on silent," the Doctor grinned, flipping a lever and making a sound, similar to feedback sound through the room. Olivia placed a hand over her ear as she flipped the lever back, making the sound stop then pushed it farther down to _really_ put the engines on silent and making the Doctor come back to look at her, asking, "Did you do something?"

"Nope," she chirped, River smirking at her. "Just watching you, love."

"Putting the outer shell on invisible," he announced, running around the console again. "I haven't done this in a while. Big drain on the power."

"You can turn the TARDIS invisible?" Rory questioned just before the entire room filled with bright light.

"Very nearly," River replied, flipping the switches back and making the lights go back down.

"Did you touch something?" the Doctor questioned her.

"Just admiring your skills, sweetie," River replied, shaking her head.

"Good," he replied, turning back to working the TARDIS. "You might learn something."

"Oh, _I'm_ certainly learning," Olivia smirked back at River when their gazes met as the Doctor tried to work the scanner.

"The scanner doesn't work when we're cloaked," he complained before running toward the door. He stopped, hearing the four heading after him and turning to say, "Whoa! You lot, wait a moment. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the _most_ powerful country on Earth. Let's take it slow."

Olivia rolled her eyes as they watched him head out the door, muttering, "Nothing's ever _slow_ with him."

"Tell me about it," River muttered, making Olivia stare ahead with a wide-eyed, blank expression, instantly getting her hidden meaning.

"I'm…not sure I wanted to hear that."

"Trust me, you did," River replied, making Olivia frown at her, still wide-eyed. A moment later the room shook, making Olivia grab the console as they all stumbled and River shook her head, sighing, "Every time."

"Don't worry!" they heard the Doctor from outside. "Always does that when it's cloaked!"

River dragged the scanner closer to the side of the console facing the door, making Rory remind her, "He said the scanner wouldn't work."

"I know. Bless," she grinned, taking a huge wire from the console and hooking it up to the scanner, sending sparks flying.

The image on the scanner soon revealed the Doctor being held down by men in suits in the Oval Office of the White House.

"_River, have you got my scanner working yet?!_" he called under the strain of being pinned.

"Oh, I hate him," she muttered.

"_No, you don't!_" the Doctor shouted. "_River! Olivia! Somebody! Make her blue again!_"

The two worked on the console to obey him before looking back at the scanner to see the men in suits staring at the TARDIS in awe and disbelief, then looking to see that the Doctor had escaped their grasp.

"_Mr. President_," he called from the president's desk, the agents in the room aiming their guns at him. "_That child just told you everything you need to know, but you weren't listening. Never mind, though, because the answer is 'yes.' I'll take the case. Fellas, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States, parked a big, blue box on the rug. Do you think you can just shoot me?_"

"Oh, that _idiot_!" Olivia snapped as they all ran toward the door and she shouted, "They're _Americans_!"

All guns trained on the four that tumbled out of the TARDIS, making them raise their hands in surrender as the Doctor did the same, calling, "Don't shoot. Definitely no shooting."

"Nobody shoots us either!" Rory called. "Very much _not_ in need of getting shot! Look, we've got our hands up."

"Who the hell are you?" Nixon questioned.

"Sir," the man they'd identified as Canton Everett Delaware III warned. "You need to stay back."

"But who are they and what is that box?" Nixon questioned again.

"It's a Police Box. Can't you read?!" the Doctor replied incredulously as he lowered his hands.

"Darling, you're being rude again," Olivia called.

"I'm your new undercover agent, on loan from Scotland Yard. Codename: The Doctor. These are my top operatives: The Legs, The Nose and Mrs. Robinson."

"I hate you," River ground out.

"No you don't," the Doctor smirked. "Also my American Liaison, codename: Mrs. Sigma."

"Hi," Olivia called with a tight smile and a small wave of her hand.

"Who _are_ you?" Nixon asked again.

"Nah, boring question," the Doctor refused. "Who's phoning you? _That's_ interesting. Because Canton III is right, that was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from."

"Where?" Canton asked.

"Do not engage with the intruder, Mr. Delaware," one of the agents warned.

"You heard everything I heard," the Doctor replied. "It's simple enough. Give me five minutes. I'll explain." He sat down and propped his feet up on the desk, saying, "On the other hand, lay a finger on me, or my friends, and you'll never, ever know."

"How'd you get it in here?" Canton asked of the TARDIS. "I mean, you didn't _carry_ it in."

"Clever, eh?"

"Love it."

"Do not _compliment_ the intruder!" the agent snapped.

"Five minutes?" Canton asked the Doctor.

"Five," he confirmed.

"Mr. President," the agent began. "That man is a clear and present _danger_ to—!"

"Mr. President," Canton interrupted. "That man _walked_ in here with a big blue box and four of his friends. And _that's_ the man he walked past. One of them is worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes, see if he delivers."

"Thanks Canton," the Doctor smiled.

"If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself," Canton added.

"Not so thanks," the Doctor added as well.

"Oh, I like this guy," Olivia smirked.

"Sir I cannot recommend—!"

"Shut up, Peterson!" Nixon snapped at the agent before sighing, "Alright."

"Five minutes," Canton told the Doctor again, and everyone lowered their guns as the Doctor lowered his feet and sat properly at the desk.

"I'm going to need a SWAT team ready to mobilize, street level maps covering all of Florida, a pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers and a fez."

"Get him his maps," Canton ordered and the Doctor deflated, making Olivia pout cutely for him before the agents in the room began locking down the room and getting his maps for him as she strolled up next to him.

"Want me to get you some Jammie Dodgers from the TARDIS kitchen?" she asked, making him look up at her, his eyes lighting up.

"We have some?" he grinned, making her lean forward and press a kiss to his forehead.

"I stocked up on our honeymoon," she smiled back before heading back to the TARDIS, waving off one of the agents that asked where she was going as River, Amy and Rory stepped toward him.

"She's being awful nice to me," he grinned goofily at River, making her roll her eyes and shake her head before one of the agents came in with a stack of maps.

It wasn't long before the maps were spread out around the Oval Office, all five of them looking over the maps as the Doctor jumped around all of them, Nixon and Canton watching them with two other agents in the room.

"Why Florida?" Canton asked.

"That's where NASA is," the Doctor replied, still looking over the maps. "She mentioned a spaceman. NASA's where the spacemen _live_. Also…there's another lead I'm following."

Olivia frowned at him from where she sat on the edge of the president's desk, watching everyone, and when her gaze fell on Amy heading toward River she stepped toward them as well.

"A spaceman," Amy whispered to them. "Like the one we saw at the lake?"

"Maybe," River replied warily, watching the Doctor carefully and making Olivia frown at her but she still said nothing. "Probably."

Olivia watched River for a moment before looking to Amy, seeing a terrified look on her face and stepped closer to her.

"Amy?"

"I remember," Amy murmured, making Olivia's frown deepen before Rory stepped in front of his wife.

"Amy?" he questioned, moving out of the way. "What do you remember?"

"I don't know, I just—" Amy cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath when she suddenly felt sick, gripping her stomach.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked, he and Olivia stepped closer out of concern.

"Amy?" River called in concern as well.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked, crossing the room with a map in his hands.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine," Amy sputtered. "I'm just feeling a little sick."

"Come on," Olivia murmured, taking her arm gently and leading her toward the door and the agents standing in front of it. "Gentlemen, can one of you show us to the restroom?"

"Sorry, ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing you must remain within the Oval Office," Peterson replied.

"Shut up and take 'em to the restroom," Canton ordered, making Peterson glare at him before nodding to the agent beside him to lead Amy and Olivia to the bathroom.

"This way, ladies," the agent entreated.

"Thank you, sir," Olivia nodded as Amy went ahead of her and Olivia called in a singsong voice, "Thank you, Canton."

He nodded to her as she followed Amy, Rory attempting to follow them but being stopped by Peterson.

"I'll take care of her, Rory," Olivia assured him with a thumbs up and Rory nodded before she hurried after Amy and the agent.

When he showed them to the door they both stepped toward it but Amy stopped the agent when he was about to follow them in, saying, "Actually, I can usually manage this alone."

Both women watched him step back before Amy opened the door to the outer room of the bathroom, letting Olivia in, who in turn opened the door leading into the main room with the stalls. She gasped and took a step back, stumbling into Amy who also gasped as they both stared at the tall, alien figure in a black suit at the other end of the hall in horror.

"I saw you before," Amy said, making Olivia frown but she didn't take her eyes off the thing with a huge head and no mouth, its eyes beady and sunken in, two small holes for a nose. "At the lake. And here. But then I forgot. How did I forget?"

"What are you?" Olivia demanded.

The thing had no time to reply before a toilet flushed and a stall opened to reveal a blonde woman in a pantsuit stepping toward the sink.

"Get back!" Amy warned her. "Get back from it!"

The woman turned to them, frowned in wonder through her huge red glasses then turned and screamed in fright before laughing.

"Oh, my god!" she laughed, making Olivia and Amy glance at each other in disbelief at her before looking back at them. "What is that? Is that a mask? Is that a Star Trek thing? Ben, is that you?"

"Get away from it!" Olivia snapped, making the woman turn back to them and when she blinked, she frowned again.

"Away from what, honey?" she asked, making both girls frown in return at her.

"That," Amy replied, nodding at the thing still staring at them.

The blonde turned again, gasping and laughing as she had when she saw it before, saying again, "Oh, my god! Look at that. Is that a Star Trek mask? Ben, that's _gotta_ be you. Hang on. Did I just say all that?"

"No, please, you've gotta stay back!" Amy pleaded when the woman took a step closer then turned back to her and Olivia.

"Back, honey?" she wondered. "Back from what?" The lights suddenly flickered and continued flickering as the woman explained, "Oh those lights. They never fix them."

"Look behind you," Amy told her and Olivia stared huge eyes at the alien as it lifted a huge three fingered hand toward her.

"Honey, there is nothing…" she trailed off as she turned just as the electricity from the lights surged into the alien then out of its huge middle finger and into the blonde woman.

Amy screamed as Olivia took a step ahead of her to protect her if necessary, the blonde woman seizing as electricity ran through her. Olivia pulled her Sonic from her front pants pocket as the thing in front of them made a terrifying, inhaling sound, a hole of a mouth appearing. The sound continued until the blonde woman disintegrated, and the lights returned back to normal, leaving Amy shuddering behind Olivia who only glared at the thing.

"She couldn't even remember you," Olivia ground out. "Why'd you kill her?"

"How does that work?" Amy wondered, pulling out her phone and aiming it at the alien. "We can only remember you while we're seeing you, is that it?"

"Why did you have to kill her?" Olivia demanded as Amy took a picture of it before snapping her phone shut.

"Joy," a deep rattling voice came from the thing. "Her name was Joy. Your names are Amelia and Olivia."

"Kinda rude to know who _we_ are and not tell us who _you_ are," Olivia growled.

"You will tell the Doctor," the alien replied, taking slow steps toward them.

"Tell him what?" Amy questioned.

"Amy, don't talk to it anymore," Olivia ordered, gently, not taking her eyes off the thing.

"What he must know and what he must _never_ know," it answered Amy's question, making both women stare wide eyes at it in disbelief and horror.

"How do you know about that?" Amy shuddered.

"We can't," Olivia argued in a breath.

"Tell him," it ordered and Amy bolted out the door.

"Amy!" Olivia called, rushing after her, both panting when they reached the hall outside.

"Are you ok?" the agent waiting for them asked, seeing them looking distressed before they both looked up at him.

"I'm fine," Amy smiled. "Much better, thanks."

"What's that?" he asked, looking to Amy's hand and Olivia's eyes widened in panic.

"It's my phone," Amy replied, looking at it, wondering why she'd pulled it out.

"Your phone?" he asked.

"Amy, this is 1969. They don't have phones like that," Olivia muttered into Amy's ear, tucking her Sonic away as she realized it was in her hand, wondering why she'd pulled it out before looking to the agent with a fake grin. "Nothing to worry about, sir. Trust me."

"I have to tell the Doctor," Amy blurted, matter-of-factly.

"Tell him what, ma'am?" the agent asked her as Olivia frowned at her in wonder and she frowned in return between them.

"Sorry, I don't know why I said that," she admitted.

"Maybe we should just head back," Olivia suggested.

"This way, ladies," the agent entreated and Olivia looped her arm around Amy's as she tucked her phone away, both heading down the hall back toward the Oval Office.

Olivia frowned in wonder as her stomach roiled. Something in the back of her mind was yelling at her that there was something important she had to tell the Doctor, and she wondered if that's what Amy had meant when she said she 'had to tell the Doctor.' But they'd all agreed not to say anything to him about what they'd seen in Utah…so what did Amy have to tell him?

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	3. Astronaut

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Astronaut**_

Olivia caught the sound of a telephone ringing as she and Amy rounded into the Oval Office where President Nixon stood from his desk, the Doctor leaning in front of him with a map over the desk, Canton right next to him.

"The kid?" Canton guessed who was calling.

"Should I answer it?" Nixon wondered.

"Here!" the Doctor cut in, placing his finger on a spot in the map as Olivia rushed up next to him to look at it. "The only place in the United States that call could be coming from. See? Obvious, when you think about it."

Olivia and Canton looked to the map as River stepped closer to them as well.

"You, sir, are a genius," Canton complimented.

"It's a hobby," the Doctor smiled.

"You don't know the half of it," Olivia smirked, giving a wink to the Doctor.

"Mr. President, answer the phone," Canton permitted, and everyone watched as Nixon lifted the receiver, turning on the recorder to tape the phone call.

"Hello?" he answered. "This is President Nixon."

"_It's here!_" the little girl on the phone panicked. "_The spaceman's here! It's gonna get me! It's gonna eat me!_"

"There's no time for a SWAT team," the Doctor said, snapping his fingers before grabbing his jacket and pulling it back on. "Let's go. Mr. President, tell her help is on the way. Canton, on no account follow me into this box."

Amy, Rory and River ran into the TARDIS with the Doctor right behind them and Olivia stopped just inside the threshold and smile at Canton, "Close the door behind you, if you please, Mr. Delaware?"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Canton demanded, running after her and shutting the door behind him.

Olivia, the Doctor and River ran around the console to fly it, Amy watching them as Rory stood with Canton by the door, Canton staring around the TARDIS in shock and awe.

"Jefferson isn't a girl's name," the Doctor explained. "It's not _her_ name either, but 'Jefferson…Adams…Hamilton.' Olivia?"

"Surnames of the three founding fathers," she grinned at him.

"Lovely fellas," he smiled back, stepping next to her. "Two of them fancied me."

"God, there's an image I didn't need," Olivia muttered as the Doctor turned to operate the console again and she looked to River to add, "Second one today."

River only winked back at her and Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes with a smirk.

"You see, the president asked the child _two_ questions: 'Where are you?' and '_Who_ are you?' She was answering 'where.' Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?"

"Where?" Amy wondered.

"Here," he replied, slamming a lever into place before running toward the door. "Come on!"

The Doctor slid to a stop, almost running into Canton, making the women behind him do the same as Canton glanced between them all.

"It's uh…" he trailed off and the Doctor looked to Rory.

"Are you taking care of this?" he asked him before sailing past him, grabbing Olivia's hand on the way as River switched on her handheld and followed them, Amy right after them.

"Why is it always _my_ turn?" Rory wondered, irritably.

"Because you're the newest," Amy replied, leaving a sweet kiss to his cheek before running after the four.

"Where are we?" Olivia wondered as the Doctor lifted a flag from a desk in the office they'd landed in and waved it as he spoke.

"About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Center," the Doctor replied, waving the flag in her face playfully and making her giggle. "It's 1969, the Year of the Moon. Interesting, don't you think?"

"But why would a little girl be here?" Amy wondered, flashing a flashlight around the dark room as River scanned around with her handheld.

"I don't know. Lost me a bit," the Doctor admitted, heading for the window as River examined the phone on the desk. "The President asked the girl where she was and she did what any lost little girl would do…she looked out of the window."

Olivia stepped up next to him as he parted the blinds and revealed three street signs: Jefferson Street, Hamilton Avenue, and Adams Street.

"Streets," Olivia nodded. "Street names. Of _course_!"

"The only place in Florida—probably all of America—with those three street names on the same junction," the Doctor added, glancing to River as she stood nearby. "And, Doctor Song, you've got that face on again."

"What face?" she wondered, making Olivia frown at her.

"The 'He's hot when he's clever' face," he replied.

"This is my normal face," River argued.

"Yes, it is," he smirked.

"Oh, shut up," River smirked back, resuming scanning the room.

"Not a chance," the Doctor shot back.

"God, now I have to deal with the flirting," Olivia muttered, making the Doctor frown at her as she stepped away from him.

"What'd you say?" he asked as he picked up the phone River had examined and listened to it for a moment.

"Nothing," she called back in a singsong tone just as she passed Canton when he stumbled out of the TARDIS.

"We've moved," he observed as Rory stepped out after him. "How…How can we…have moved?"

"You haven't even got to _space_ travel yet?" the Doctor questioned Rory as he shut the TARDIS door, Amy and Olivia following River out of the room.

"I _was_ going to cover it with time travel," Rory shot back.

"Time travel?" Canton echoed.

"Braveheart Canton…come on," the Doctor called, heading after the girls.

"So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside, and it travels through time and space?" Canton asked Rory as they followed.

"Yeah, basically," Rory nodded.

"How long has Scotland yard had this?" Canton wondered.

"It's a warehouse of some kind," River explained as she led them into the huge dark room. "Disused."

"You realize this is almost certainly a trap, of course?" the Doctor guessed, making Olivia frown at him.

"I noticed the phone, yes," River replied.

"What about the phone?" Olivia questioned. "What did I miss?"

"It was cut off," River explained. "So how did the child phone from here?"

"Ok, but why would anyone want to trap us?" Amy wondered as the group headed deeper into the warehouse.

"Don't know," the Doctor admitted. "Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards."

"Oh, yes, because that always works out _so_ well for the rest of us," Olivia shot back as the group made their way deeper into the warehouse before coming to unboxed equipment and Olivia wondered, "Why would a little girl be here, of all places?"

"I dunno," the Doctor admitted slinging an arm over her shoulders. "Let's find her and ask her."

"What's that?" Olivia wondered at the thing under a shaft of light. It was a slanted slab with wires hanging all around it. "It looks…seriously creepy."

"It's nonterrestrial," River reported. "Definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone."

"Which is odd, because _look at this_!" the Doctor grinned, rushing toward an open box and reaching into it.

"It's Earth tech, contemporary," River noted.

"_Very_ contemporary," the Doctor added, examining an astronaut helmet. "Cutting-edge. This is from the Space Program!"

"Stolen?" Olivia wondered.

"What, by aliens?" Amy frowned.

"Apparently," the Doctor replied, pulling the helmet over his head.

"But why?" Amy asked. "I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon?"

"Maybe 'cause it's cooler!" the Doctor grinned from under the gold screen before shoving it up to grin at the three girls. "Look how cool this stuff is!"

"_Cool_ aliens?" Olivia giggled.

"Well, what would you call _me_?" the Doctor smirked.

"_An_ alien," Amy retorted as he pulled the helmet off.

"Oi!" the Doctor shot back as Olivia burst into laughter.

"I think he's ok now," Rory called as he and Canton stood a few feet away, pointing flashlights at the thing in the center of the room.

"Ah! Back with us, Canton?" the Doctor smiled as he approached, Olivia, River and Amy remaining with the contraption to examine it.

"I like your wheels," Canton told him.

"That's my boy," the Doctor smiled back, patting his arm as he passed to search the rest of the warehouse. "Come on. Little girl, let's find her."

Olivia pulled out her Sonic to scan the machine, River using her handheld as Amy stepped next to the blonde with a flashlight.

"River…" Amy began, but didn't have a chance to finish.

"I know what you're thinking," River cut in, scanning one of the wires stuck to the slab with some kind of slime.

"So do I," Olivia added, using the Sonic on the slab itself.

"No, you don't," Amy argued to the both of them.

"You're thinking, 'If we can find the spaceman in 1969 and neutralize it then it won't be around in 2011 to kill the Doctor'."

"Ok, lucky guess," Amy conceded.

"It's because we were thinking it, too," Olivia told her, drawing Amy's gaze to her as Olivia scanned the Sonic up the thick wire in front of her.

"So let's _do_ it," Amy insisted.

"It doesn't work like that," River argued stepping around Amy.

"The only reason we're here is because of what we saw in the future," Olivia explained. "If we try preventing it from happening we'll create a paradox."

"Time can be rewritten," Amy shot back.

"Not _all_ of it," River replied.

"Says who?" Amy retorted.

"Who do you _think_, Amy?" Olivia shot back.

"What's this?" River questioned, following a network of thick cords toward a manhole with her flashlight. "Doctor, look at this."

Olivia hurried around the machine and toward River, as did the Doctor when she moved the cover away from the hole where the cords led.

"So, where does _that_ go?" the Doctor murmured as River scanned it with her handheld.

"There's a network of tunnels running under here," she reported.

"Life signs?" the Doctor asked.

"No," she hummed. "Nothing that's showing up."

"Those are the worst kind," he retorted as River began climbing into the hole and he ordered, "Be careful!"

"Careful?" she smiled, knowingly at him and Olivia. "Tried that once. Ever so dull."

"Tell me about it," Olivia smirked in agreement.

"Shout if you get in trouble," the Doctor told her.

"Don't worry, I'm _quite_ the screamer," River smiled, broadly, making Olivia slap a hand to her face, hard. "Now _there's_ a spoiler for you."

"Will I _ever_ get a break from the images?" Olivia sighed, looking to Amy who frowned back at her. "Seriously?!"

"So, what's going on here?" Canton asked the Doctor who whirled around to look at the agent with wide eyes.

"Uh…nothing," he chirped. "She's just a friend."

Olivia shook her head with a smirk as Rory stepped up next to him to whisper, "I think he's talking about the possible Alien Incursion."

"Ok!" the Doctor grinned in relief, patting the men on their shoulders before taking Olivia's hand to drag her after him.

"Serious?" Olivia smirked as he knelt down to study more equipment, releasing her hand and looking over his shoulder at her with a frown.

"What?" he wondered, looking away from her again.

"'She's just a friend'?" she repeated.

"I know, shut up," he shot back, making her giggle before she knelt next to him, a thought suddenly striking her.

"Theta," she whispered. "I have to tell you something."

"Tell me," he replied, not looking away from what he was examining as she sighed.

"That's the thing," she began. "There's _something_ I have to tell you, but I can't. Like it's locked away or…I can't remember."

He shot his gaze to her, their eyes locking, instantly.

"Can't remember?" he echoed, wondering if he'd heard right. "_You_…Olivia Lydia Felton…_can't_ remember?"

"I _knew_ something was wrong," she shuddered. "I never forget _anything_, do I? But there's something…_nagging_ at the back of my mind. Theta, something's wrong."

"All clear," River called, drawing everyone's attention to her as she leaned out of the manhole. "Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see. Give me five minutes. I want to take another look around."

"_Stupidly_ dangerous," the Doctor called as he and Olivia stood in their places.

"Yep! I like it, too," River called back, beginning her second descent. "Amy, Olivia…look after him."

"Rory, would you mind going with her?" the Doctor asked him as he stepped up on the other side of Olivia.

"Yeah, a bit," Rory retorted.

"Then I'd appreciate it all the more," the Doctor replied as Olivia patted Rory's back.

"Hang on, River," Rory called, heading toward the manhole as the Doctor turned to Olivia. "I'm coming, too."

"Did River seem a bit out of breath to you?" Olivia wondered.

"Never mind that, look at me," the Doctor ordered gently, lifting his hands toward her face and making her frown at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but didn't stop him from placing his hands on her face, close to her temples.

"I'm gonna see what's going on in that brain of yours, something I've been _trying_ to do for a very long time now," he replied, closing his eyes and she felt his presence in her mind.

"We don't have time for this," she told him. "We have to find that little girl."

"There's always time for my girl, now hush and give us a mo," he shot back.

Olivia swallowed, doing as he said and watching a frown come to his brow.

"Something's been…erased," he murmured, making her frown.

"Erased?" she echoed.

"A snippet of your memory's been wiped clean, like…nothing happened," he explained, and she felt his presence leave her mind as he lowered his hands and looked into her eyes. "What did that to you?"

"I know you're not really asking me, but I don't know," she answered before asking, "Do you want me to go with River and Rory?"

"No," the Doctor instantly replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Stay here, where I can keep an eye on you."

"You let _her_ do what she wants," she muttered as he turned to begin examining things again.

"That's because she can fight for herself."

"So can I!"

"Not like _she_ can, and I feel better when you're close by, got it?"

Olivia sighed, but nodded before stepping next to him, using her Sonic on something he lifted from the table they were standing next to.

"Can I ask you something?" she hoped when he set the thing down.

"Of course," he replied, moving on to the next thing.

"You and River," she began in a whisper, glancing to Canton and Amy. "I know…you've seen her die, but does that mean your timelines are back-to-front? Like, ships passing each other?"

He didn't look at her for a moment before finally answering, "Yes. Eventually, I'm sure we'll meet her, and she won't know me the way she does now."

Olivia let that sink in before breathing, "God, I can't imagine how she must've felt when you met her that first time…for _you_." The Doctor looked to her with a frown before she continued, "The one you love not knowing who you are—If that'd been me…I'd have wanted to kill myself."

He looked away from her and back to the table, lost in thought and muttered, "She did."

"Theta—?"

"Go help Canton and Amy," he told her, turning a weak smile to her before adding, "Please."

She nodded and left a kiss to his cheek before heading toward them as they looked over the machine.

"So, you were kicked out of the FBI because you had attitude problems," Amy questioned Canton as Olivia approached.

"I heard it was issues with authority," Olivia smirked, leaning next to him.

"No," he smirked back, slightly. "I just wanted to get married."

"Is that a crime?" Amy asked as Olivia frowned, the three examining the wires hanging from the ceiling.

"Yes," he replied before looking to Olivia, asking, "Doctor _who_, exactly?"

"Mm, that's classified, Agent Delaware," Olivia smiled back.

"Classified by who?" he asked.

"God knows," Amy muttered.

"Do you two work for him?" he asked.

"I'm his wife," Olivia replied, using her Sonic on the machine again.

"He's _my_ friend," Amy replied. "If 'friend' is the right word. I haven't seen him in a while. I had something I wanted to tell him, but stuff always gets in the way."

"Stuff does that," Canton replied as Olivia frowned at Amy in wonder.

"Help me!"

Everyone's gazes shot up at the sound of the little girl calling for help, and Canton drew his gun, cocking it. "Help! Help me!"

"That's her," Canton said, as Olivia ran toward the Doctor, Amy right after her.

Amy suddenly doubled over in pain as Canton rushed past the Doctor, Olivia on his heels. She stopped when she couldn't hear anyone following and looked behind her to see the Doctor and Amy talking.

"Doctor!" she called. "Amy!"

She watched the Doctor drag Amy after him before they all rounded a corner and Olivia frowned at the red head.

"Amy? You ok?" she hoped, helping her hobble along.

"Canton!" the Doctor called, rushing toward him as the agent lay on the ground. "Canton! Are you ok?"

Olivia pulled Amy with her toward Canton who didn't move and the Doctor looked him over.

"Is he alright?" Amy hoped.

"Just unconscious," the Doctor replied. "Got a _proper_ whack."

"Doctor," Amy shuddered, holding her stomach as Olivia glanced between the three. "I need to tell you something. I have to tell you it now."

"Not a very good time, Amy," Olivia told her, making Amy grab her arm and stare into her jade eyes.

"It's important," Amy insisted. "It _has_ to be now!"

"Help!" the little girl called, but they couldn't see her as they looked around and Amy knelt down in front of the Doctor. "Help me!"

"Doctor…I'm pregnant."

The three remained silent as the Doctor and Olivia stared huge eyes of disbelief at Amy before they caught the sound of slow footsteps heading toward them. They turned to the door as the Doctor stood, all staring at the astronaut that was coming toward them.

"That's it," Amy shuddered. "The astronaut."

It stopped and lifted a hand to the helmet as Amy turned and grabbed Canton's gun, discarded on the floor, but Olivia and the Doctor saw the child inside the suit.

"Help me!"

"Get down!" Amy shouted, shooting to her feet and lifting the gun.

"What are you doing?!" the Doctor shouted as she turned the gun on the little girl in the suit.

"Saving your life!" Amy shouted back.

"Amy, _no_!" Olivia screamed but it was too late.

Amy pulled the trigger with a scream.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	4. Fights

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Fights**_

Olivia panted as she ran down an alley in Hollywood, California. She knew it better than Canton and his agents. The pen on the cord around her neck bounced off her stomach as she ran until she reached the end of the alley and glanced around the moonlit streets. A hooker strolled by, giving her a look before passing her completely and she glanced up and down the street to be sure it was clear of everyone else. She swallowed, panting from running and looked behind her again…only to gasp when the one of the suited aliens that made her forget she'd seen them stood a few feet away.

"13,594," she breathed before swallowing and uncapping the pen, pulling the sleeve of her leather jacket up and making a mark on her arm amongst the tons of marks she'd made on her arms, face, neck and chest.

"Olivia!" Canton called from down the alley, making her gasp and turn to him, instantly forgetting the alien she'd just seen, before she turned to launch down the street. She came to a dead stop when she saw more agents marching toward her down the street and turned to head the other way…only to be stopped when she spotted more agents coming toward her. She turned to retreat down the alley again, but came face to face with Canton, holding a pair of handcuffs in front of her face.

"Bondage?" she snapped, raising a brow at him. "Buy me dinner first, big boy."

Canton smirked, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to put the cuffs on her, replying, "I'll buy your last meal. How 'bout that?"

"How romantic," she spat, trying to pull out of his grip as the agents drew their guns and aimed them at her. "Where are my friends?!"

"You can visit 'em later," he assured her, pushing her toward the car across the street. "They're on their way in a thing we like to call 'stasis'."

She instantly realized his meaning and tried to yank out of his grip in anger, but they'd reached the car and he shoved her into the back seat, another agent getting in on the other side of her, two more in the front.

"Where's the Doctor?" she hissed. "I swear, if you've hurt him—!"

"We're on our way to see him now, Miss Felton," Canton replied. "Rest assured, you'll see him one last time."

* * *

_Area 51 Nevada..._

Olivia swallowed as she glanced between the body bags the agents were dragging on either side of her before she looked to the huge box in the center of the huge building.

"Zero-balance dwarf-star alloy," she murmured as Canton led her toward the box. "Won't be enough."

"Funny," he smirked. "That's what _he_ said."

He shoved her into the doorway of the cube where she stared wide eyes at the Doctor as he sat in a chair in the center of it, wearing a straitjacket wrapped in chains with months worth of beard and hair on his face and head.

"Doctor!" Olivia choked, as Canton unhooked her cuffs and the body bags were set down on either side of them. Once the cuffs were off her wrists she fell to her knees in front of the Doctor and placed her hands on his face, smoothing his hair from it to look him in the eyes.

"Liv," he smiled, warmly.

"I'm here, my love," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his and closing her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm here."

"Aw, how sweet," Canton mocked from behind Olivia.

She jumped when a gunshot rang out, her eyes shooting wide to stare at the Doctor, blankly. She fell limp onto his lap as he stared down at her in shock at the seeping red spot on her back before lifting his gaze to Canton who held a smoking gun aimed at her.

"Is there a reason you're doing this?" he ground out.

"I want you to know where you stand," Canton replied as the men bringing in the bags left the cell and Canton slid his fingers into a panel on the wall that controlled the door and sealed it, making it disappear into the wall as he spoke. "In a cell. In the _perfect_ cell. Nothing can penetrate these walls…no sound, not a radio wave. Not the tiniest particle of anything. In here, you're literally cut off from the rest of the universe. So I guess they can't hear us, right?"

"Good work, Canton," the Doctor whispered. "Door sealed?"

"You bet," Canton nodded.

Olivia instantly stood on her knees with a groan, stretching out her back as the Doctor stood and wriggled out of his restraints easily and the bags next to them sat up, gasping.

"Geez," Olivia groaned, pulling off her blue leather jacket to examine the spot on the back of it. "Those paintballs _hurt_!"

"Stand up," the Doctor ordered her as Amy and Rory burst through the body bags and she frowned but shot to her feet.

"What?" she wondered, but he said nothing as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close, making her grin and return his embrace, hugging him tight.

"Missed you," he whispered.

"Missed you more," she whispered back, letting him go so they could both help Amy and Rory out of their body bags.

"These things could _really_ do with air holes!" Rory complained, loudly as the Doctor stretched his arms and legs, quickly.

"Never had a complaint before," Canton smirked as Olivia marched toward Canton to hold up her jacket in his face.

"I'm sending _you_ the bill," she reported, glaring comically at him.

"Liv, the TARDIS can clean it fine," the Doctor strained, touching his toes.

"Isn't it gonna look odd that you're staying in here with us?" Amy wondered.

"Odd, but not alarming," Canton replied as Olivia lowered her jacket to pout at it. "They know there's no way out of this place."

"Exactly, whatever they might think we're doing in here, they know we're not going anywhere," the Doctor replied, stepping to a corner and snapping his suspenders before leaning sideways, making an invisible image of the TARDIS resonate. He snapped his fingers, opening the TARDIS door as he held a hand toward Olivia with a grin.

"Shall we?" he smirked and she took his hand to let him pull her close and whirl her into the open door of the TARDIS, Amy and Rory running in after her.

"What about Doctor Song?" Canton wondered, hurrying after them and the Doctor ran in last. "She _dove_ off a rooftop."

"Yeah, she does that," Olivia replied, running around the console as the Doctor shut the doors then shot toward the console.

"Amy, Rory!" he called. "Open all the doors to the swimming pool!"

"Which rooftop?!" Olivia asked Canton.

"New York," he told her as she and the Doctor operated the TARDIS console. They stopped for only a moment and when Amy and Rory returned to tell them River was on board, they lifted off again.

"_God_! I missed this thing!" Olivia grinned, leaning over to press a kiss to the console as the Doctor sailed up next to her and she turned to grab him by the face. "And I missed _you_."

She pulled him forward and planted a kiss to his lips as he stared at her in shock before she instantly pulled away with a strange look over her face.

"What?" his voice cracked.

"I've never kissed you with a beard before," she frowned.

"Oh…and?"

"I don't like it."

"Oh."

Olivia released his face, letting him lift his jacket off the chair near the stairs and put it on before they both ran around the console again.

"Best wash up," he advised her. "Give me your jacket and I'll toss it into the TARDIS wash room."

She tossed it to him before heading after Amy and Rory as they headed for the TARDIS showers, then the wardrobe, and it wasn't long before they all regrouped in the control room again where the Doctor hadn't left the console.

"So, we know they're everywhere," he explained, running around the console. "Not just a landing party, an occupying force, and they've been here a very, _very_ long time. But nobody knows that because no one can remember them."

"So what are they up to?" Canton wondered.

"No idea," the Doctor replied, slapping a lever into place. "But the good news is…we've got a secret weapon."

He grabbed Olivia's hand and bolted toward the door, making her give a squeak of surprise before giggling as he pulled the door open, everyone following behind them as they stepped into a field and he pulled her to face a rocket.

"Apollo 11 is your secret weapon?" River wondered.

"No, no, it's not Apollo 11," the Doctor retorted. "That would be silly. It's Neil Armstrong's foot."

* * *

_Later..._

The Doctor injected something into Canton's hand, making him wince and call, "Ow!"

"So, three months," the Doctor called, the injector gun still in his hand. "What have we found out?"

"Well, they are _everywhere_," Rory reported, as the Doctor took his hand to inject him. "Every state in America—_ah_!"

"Not just America, the entire world!" the Doctor announced, strolling around the console.

"There's a greater concentration _here_, though," River reported, looking at the screen above the console as the Doctor stopped in front of Amy and injected her hand, making her cry out in pain and frown at him.

"You ok?" he asked her, making her frown disappear.

"All better," she nodded.

"Better?" Olivia murmured, coming up next to the Doctor and taking his hand.

"Turns out I was wrong," Amy explained. "I'm…I'm not pregnant."

"What's up?" Rory asked, coming up next to Amy, obviously not hearing any of the conversation.

"Nothing," Amy lied then scoffed, "Really, nothing, seriously."

"Ow!" Olivia shouted when the Doctor injected her hand and she pulled it back from his grip, successfully diffusing the situation. "You start making surprise attacks like that I'm not holding your hand anymore!"

Olivia turned and marched toward the console and the Doctor followed quickly.

"So you've seen them, but you don't remember them?" Canton asked the group.

"You've seen them, too," River reported. "That night at the warehouse, remember? While you were pretending to hunt us down, we saw hundreds of those things."

"But, we still have no clue what they look like," Olivia reported.

"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away," Rory explained. "The exact second you're not looking at them, you can't remember anything."

"Sometimes you feel a bit sick though, but not always," Amy added.

"So that's why you marked your skin," Canton realized.

"Only way we'd know we'd had an encounter," Amy confirmed.

"How long have they been here?" Canton wondered.

"We've spent the past few months trying to find that out," Olivia reported, watching the Doctor as _he_ watched Amy.

"Yeah, not _easy_ if you can't remember anything you discover," Rory added.

"How long do you _think_?" Canton urged.

"As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye or creaking in your house or breathing under your bed or voices through a wall," the Doctor replied, stepping toward Canton and River stepped around the console, closer to the Doctor. "They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head: We are not _fighting_ an alien invasion. We're _leading_ a revolution. And today the battle begins."

"How?" Canton wondered.

"Like this…" the Doctor replied before using the injector on River's hand and making her shout and shake her hand to relieve the bite of pain as the Doctor laughed, holding something tiny in his other hand. "Nanorecorder. Fuses with the cartilage in you hand."

"Here, darling, let _me_," Olivia smiled as he loaded the tiny thing into the gun and she took it from him to jab his hand with it, pulling the trigger.

"Ow!" he called before snatching the thing from her and resuming, "It tunes itself directly to the speech centers in your brain. It'll pick up your voice no matter what…telepathic connection. So, the _moment_ you see one of the creatures…" He lifted his hand to demonstrate, pressing the recorder so that a red light flashed in his palm. "…you activate it and describe aloud _exactly_ what you're seeing." He pressed the button again, and everyone heard his voice repeat what he'd just said. "Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it happened. The light will flash if you've left yourself a message. You keep checking your hand. If you've had an encounter that's the first you'll know about it."

"Why didn't you tell me this before we started?" Canton wondered.

"I did," the Doctor replied heading to the console and doing something on it. "But even information about these creatures erases itself over time. I couldn't refresh it because I couldn't talk to you."

The Doctor hit something on the console that made an image appear near the doorway, making Canton look around when he noticed the Doctor glance that way.

He instantly pressed the nanorecorder in his hand when he saw the creature, sputtering, "My god! How did it get in here?!"

"Keep eye contact with the creature and when I say, turn back, and when you do, straighten my bowtie," the Doctor instructed, and after a brief moment he said, "Alright, turn away."

Canton turned and once he took his eyes off the creature he calmly reached up and straightened the Doctor's bowtie as everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Canton questioned, lowering his hand. "What are you staring at?"

"Look at your hand," Olivia urged, making him frown as he looked to the red light flashing in his hand.

"Why's it doing that?" he asked.

"What does it mean if the light's flashing?" the Doctor reminded him. "What did I just tell you?"

"I haven't—"

"Play it."

Canton pressed the button and a beep sounded before the entire conversation played over again, making him slowly turn and stare wide eyes at the creature he saw…again.

"It's a hologram," the Doctor assured them. "Extrapolated from the photo on Amy's phone. Take a good, long look."

They all stared at it before the image disappeared.

"You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting," the Doctor reported. "Describe it to me."

"I can't," Canton replied when the Doctor looked to him.

"No," the Doctor murmured. "Neither can I. You straightened my bowtie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature."

"So _they_ could do that to people," Amy guessed as the Doctor marched around the console to work on his computer above it. "You could be doing stuff and not really knowing _why_ you're doing it."

"Like posthypnotic suggestion," Rory added.

"Ruling the world with posthypnotic suggestion," Olivia sighed, rubbing her face in anxiety.

"Now then, a little girl in a spacesuit," the Doctor continued. "They got the suit from NASA, but where did they get the girl?"

"Could be _anywhere_," Canton retorted.

"No, they'd stay close to that warehouse," Olivia theorized. "Get her to the equipment as fast as possible. They'd take her from somewhere that would draw the _least_ amount of attention."

"But _you'll_ have to find her," the Doctor cut in, slinging an arm around Olivia's shoulders. "We're off to NASA."

"Find her?" Canton asked. "Where do we look?"

"Children's homes," the Doctor replied.

"We?" Olivia frowned back at him.

"Yes, we," he smiled down at her. "Quality time with my girl."

* * *

_Later..._

"Hurry up, Theta," Olivia whispered, standing outside the hatch he was working in. "Somebody could come by any minute!"

"Just keep your lookout, Liv," he told her, not faltering in his work.

"You know, when you said I was coming along, I thought I'd be of some _actual_ help," she shot back. "Not _just_ a lookout."

"You _are_ helping!" the Doctor argued. "You're keeping me company. That's helping. Quality time."

Olivia sighed before her phone went off and she frowned as she pulled it out, looking to the caller ID then answering it.

"Yeah, Amy," she greeted.

"_I think we've found the place she was taken from_," Amy said.

"How do you know?" Olivia wondered.

"_Because those things have been here_," she explained as Olivia stepped to the edge of the hatch to watch him attach something to the wiring he was working under. "_But the whole place is deserted. There's just one guy here and I think he's lost it_."

"Repeated memory wipes will do that to ya," Olivia nodded. "Find out what you can, but don't stay there too long."

Footsteps caught her ear and she looked up to the end of the hall with wide eyes, swallowing hard.

"_Where are you two?_"

"Uh, we gotta go," Olivia replied. "Got company."

She hung up the phone as the two men in lab coats stared at her and the Doctor as he sat up in the hatch of Apollo 11.

"Doctor…"

"Don't worry," he told the two men. "I put everything back the way I found it. Except this." He lifted a wire in his hand, making Olivia roll her eyes and slap a hand to her face in exasperation. "There's always a bit left over, isn't there?"

"You are such an idiot," Olivia sighed.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia glared at the Doctor as they sat side by side in handcuffs in a room that looked more like a classroom than a room at NASA, two men in white shirts, ties and khakis standing in front of them, a guard behind them.

"Now, one more time, sir," one of the men urged. "How the _hell_ did you two get into the command module?"

"I _told_ you," the Doctor drawled. "We're on a top secret mission for the president. _She's_ my American Liaison."

Olivia frowned at him as she watched him lift his cuffed hands to his face and bite the chain between them in what she could only assume was frustration.

"Well, maybe if you just get President Nixon to _assure_ us of that, sir, that would be swell," the man in glasses chuckled as the Doctor lowered his cuffs.

"Smart ass," Olivia muttered.

"Behave, Liv," the Doctor murmured before looking to the men again, reporting, "I sent him a message."

The door to the room opened to reveal President Nixon, followed by River and Rory in professional wear.

"Hello," Nixon greeted as the two men scrambled to their feet while Olivia and the Doctor only grinned from their seats. The President held his hand toward the man in glasses, saying, "I believe it's Mr. Gardner. Is that correct? Head of Security."

"Uh, yes, sir," Gardner sputtered, shaking his hand. "Yes, Mr. President."

"Mr. Grant, is it?" Nixon greeted the second man, holding his hand out for him to shake as well.

"Yes, Mr. President," Grant replied, shaking his hand.

"The hopes and dreams of millions of Americans stand here today at Cape Kennedy," Nixon began. "And you're the men who guard those dreams. On behalf of the American people, I thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. President," Gardner nodded.

"I understand you have a baby on the way, Mr. Grant," Nixon smiled.

"Yes, Mr. President," Grant grinned.

"What are you hoping for?" Nixon wondered. "A boy or a girl?"

"Just a healthy American, Sir," Grant replied, making Nixon laugh as Olivia roll her eyes and sigh in boredom while the Doctor smirked at her.

"A healthy American will do just nicely!" Nixon laughed, lightly punching Grant's shoulder. "Now, fellas, listen…these two, here…Codenames: The Doctor and Mrs. Sigma, are doing some work for me personally. Could you, uh, cut them a little slack?"

"Uh, Mr. President, they _did_ break into Apollo 11," Gardner informed him.

Nixon looked to them and Olivia noticed Rory look up as well and River shook her head with a knowing smirk as the Doctor mouthed 'Sorry' to Nixon.

"Well," Nixon smirked. "I'm sure they had a very good reason for that. But I need you to release them now so they can get on with some very important work for the American people. Could you do that for me?"

"Well—"

"Son," Nixon broke into Grant's objection. "I _am_ your Commander in Chief."

"Then I guess that would be _fine_, Mr. President," Gardner quickly conceded.

"Glad to hear it," Nixon nodded as the guard behind the two unhooked Olivia's and the Doctor's cuffs, letting them stand.

"Thank you," the Doctor grinned, shaking their hands. "Bye-bye."

He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the door the three had entered to head into the TARDIS sitting outside the room.

"I don't think I've _ever_ heard the word 'American' used so many times in a conversation," Olivia said, as she flipped a lever on the console, the Doctor running around it to fly before sailing up next to her.

"You know he's in the room, right?" the Doctor murmured to her.

"I don't care," she muttered before she felt his presence in her mind as he used their link.

"_Look, I know he's probably not your favorite president_," he began. "_He's not mine either, but try not to make it so obvious._"

"_You outta know me better than that by now, my love_," she retorted, glancing his way and making him give an admonishing gaze, to which she pouted and blinked innocently.

"Liv, can I speak to you in private, please? River, take over, thank you," the Doctor said, heading around the console to grab Olivia's hand to pull her down the stairs that led underneath the console platform. Once beneath the console he stopped and turned her to face him, holding both her hands as he looked her in the eye as he said, "I don't know what's going on here, but _something_ has gotten into you, and you're gonna tell me, right now, what it is."

Olivia swallowed against the lump forming in her throat at the thought of what she'd seen back at the lake and looked away from him before he could see the tears forming.

"No, Olivia," he objected firmly, lifting a hand to her chin and gently pulling her gaze back to his, but she let her eyes settle on his bowtie. "Look at me."

He stared at her evenly, then noticed her lower lip quiver. Seeing that made his hearts clench so tight he could hardly breathe. He didn't want to make her cry, or hurt her, but he _had_ to know, and if anyone would tell him what was going on, it was _Olivia_.

"Theta," she shuddered, closing her eyes, tightly and he noticed tears roll down her cheeks before she opened her eyes again and looked him squarely in the eye. "I _can't_. I _want_ to…you have no idea. But I can't."

"Why?" he questioned.

"Don't you get it?!" she nearly screamed, shoving him away as he stared at her in disbelief, noticing River and Rory look down through the glass at them. "I'm trying to _protect you_! For once…just _once_…let _me_ do that for _you_!"

She didn't wait for his response before she turned and marched up the stairs, around the console as River and Rory stared at her, and up the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS. They both looked to the Doctor as he trudged up the stairs and headed for the console to lean against it with a sigh.

"Where's Nixon?" he wondered, noticing he wasn't in the room to stare at them.

"He went to loo," Rory replied, cautiously as River only glared at him. "I'll…make sure he doesn't get lost."

Rory retreated up the stairs where Olivia had disappeared, leaving River and the Doctor alone in the control room.

"Stop glaring at me," he requested, not looking away from the console as he operated it.

"Stop asking her what's bothering her," she shot back, making him look up at her as he set his jaw.

"What we discuss has nothing to do with you," he replied.

"Like hell it doesn't," she retorted, stepping toward him. "We _all_ asked you to trust us with this, and you're hurting her every time you ask her about it. I'm warning you…stop it."

They stared each other down before she turned and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" he questioned.

"To comfort your _other_ wife," she shot back before she disappeared and he slammed a lever into place, angrily.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	5. Rescue

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Rescue**_

"You have to tape _everything_ that happens in this office," the Doctor told Nixon who was now sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, Olivia leaning sideways on the TARDIS as she watched them. "_Every word_ or we won't know you're under the influence."

"Doctor, you have to give me more than this," Nixon urged as the Doctor and Olivia were about to step into the TARDIS. "What were you doing to Apollo 11?"

"Thing," the Doctor replied, vaguely. "Clever thing. Now, no more questions. You have to trust _me_ and _nobody_ else."

"Doctor," River called, leaning out the door of the TARDIS with a phone in her hand. "It's Canton. Quick, he needs us."

The Doctor turned to head into the ship, Olivia right behind him. The three operated the TARDIS, following the address Canton gave them, and as soon as they landed they all ran out of the TARDIS and through the orphanage, hearing Canton call for Amy to stand back from the door as they ran up the stairs.

"Ok! Gun down! I've got it!" the Doctor called, running toward Canton as he stood in front of a door at the end of the hallway. The Doctor passed Canton and used the Sonic on the lock, calling, "Amy, we're here! Are you ok?!"

"I can't see!" they heard Amy call through the door, followed by her sobs as they all ran into the room. It was filled with things you'd find in a small child's room, an astronaut's suit lying on the floor…but no Amy.

"Where is she, Doctor?" Rory wondered as the Doctor used his Sonic on the suit, River kneeling at the helmet to lift the shield.

"It's empty," she reported.

"_It's dark_," they heard Amy shudder, making them look around the room in wonder before they looked to the floor at the flashing red spot on the rug. "_So dark. I don't know where I am. Please, can anybody hear me?_"

Rory stepped toward the light and knelt down to pick up the nanorecorder then looked to the Doctor.

"They took this out of her," he breathed as he stood. "How did they do that, Doctor? Why can I still hear her?"

"Is it a recording?" River asked as the Doctor stepped closer to Rory to use the Sonic on it while he still held it.

"It defaults to live," the Doctor replied, solemnly. "This is current. Wherever she is right now, this is what she's saying."

"Amy, can you hear me?" Rory spoke to the tiny thing in his hand. "We're coming for you. Wherever you are, we're coming, I swear."

"She can't hear you," the Doctor reported as they all heard Amy sobbing from the recorder over the rain outside, Rory turning to look at him. "I'm so sorry. It's one way."

"She can _always_ hear me, Doctor," Rory argued. "Always. Wherever she is. And she always knows that _I_ am coming for her. Do you understand me? Always."

"_Doctor_," Amy whispered, making him look to it. "_Are you out there? Can you hear me? Doctor? Oh, God. Please, please, Doctor, just get me out of this_."

"He's coming," Rory assured her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "I'll bring him, I swear."

"Hello?" a man called, making everyone look to the doorway as Rory kissed the recorder. "Is somebody there? I think someone has been shot. I think we should help. We…I can't…I can't remember."

The Doctor ran out of the room followed by the rest of them until they reached the manager's office where they found one of the creatures on the floor.

"What happened to it?" Olivia asked.

"I shot it," Canton replied.

"Good job," she nodded, patting his shoulder as no one took their eyes off of it.

The Doctor knelt in front of it as it backed away, wheezing and rattling oddly as he demanded, "Who and what are you?"

"Silence, Doctor," the thing hissed, making his eyes widened in recognition. "We are the Silence. And Silence will fall."

"Oh, my god, Doctor," Olivia shuddered as everyone glanced between the three in wonder.

"I know," he murmured, as she stepped toward him to grip his shoulder in fear.

"What do we need to do?" she breathed and he placed his hand over hers.

"Do _exactly_ as I say."

* * *

_Back at the Warehouse..._

River and the Doctor examined the astronaut suit the little girl had escaped from as Olivia watched them, Rory cradling the nanorecorder.

"It's an exoskeleton," River explained. "Basically life support. There's about twenty different kinds of alien tech in here."

"Who was she?" the Doctor wondered. "Why put her in here?"

"You put this on, you don't even need to eat," River observed. "The suit processes sunlight directly. It's got built-in weaponry and a communications system that can hack into anything."

"Including the phone network?" Olivia asked.

"Easily," River nodded to her.

"But why the president?" Olivia wondered.

"It defaults to the highest authority it can find," River explained. "The little girl gets frightened, the most powerful man on Earth gets a phone call."

"Night Terrors with a hotline to the White House," Olivia added, watching the Doctor smell then lick the blue envelope his invitation came in. "You won't learn anything from that, ya know?"

"Purchased on Earth," he began, stepping closer to her with a cocky smirk. "Perfectly ordinary stationery, _TARDIS blue_. Summoned by a stranger who won't even show his face. That's a first for me. How about you?"

"Oh, are you under the impression that I'm no longer angry with you?" Olivia shot back. "Take it to the curly haired blonde over there."

"Olivia," River chided, gently as the Doctor turned to look at River.

"I'm not having this discussion with him," Olivia announced, irritably as she stepped toward Rory and River looked to the Doctor.

"Our lives are back to front," she told him. "Your future's my past. Your firsts are my lasts."

"That's not really what I asked," the Doctor retorted.

"Ask something else, then," River shot back.

"What are the Silence doing, raising a child?" the Doctor asked.

"Keeping her safe," River explained as Olivia marched toward the suit to examine it herself. "Even giving her independence."

"The only way to save Amy is to work out what the Silence are doing," the Doctor said, pacing near Rory.

"I know," Rory replied.

"And every single thing we learn about them brings us a step closer."

"Yeah, Doctor, I get it."

"It's possible she's not just _any_ little girl," Olivia said, using her Sonic on he suit as she looked to River over it.

"Well, I'd say she's human, going by the life-support software," River said, using her handheld on its pieces.

"But…" the Doctor prompted.

"Looks like she climbed out of this," Olivia replied. "She _forced_ her way out."

"She must be _incredibly_ strong," River added.

"Incredibly strong and running away," the Doctor summarized, adding, "I _like_ her."

"We should be trying to _find_ her," Olivia shot back.

"Yes, I know, but _how_," he replied, looking to her as he stood an inch away from her. She swallowed as she felt her heart skip when he gazed down at her and added, "Anyway, I have the strangest feeling she's going to find _us_."

"Theta—"

"Later," he cut in, looking to the TV as they heard Apollo 11 being set up for launch. She frowned and deflated as he ran toward the TV.

"Attention span of a gnat," she ground out, turning back to the suit.

"I know," River nodded.

"Why does it look like a NASA spacesuit?" Rory wondered.

"Because that's what the Silence _do_," the Doctor replied. "Think about it…they don't _make_ anything themselves. They don't have to. They get other life forms to do it _for_ them."

"So they're parasites, then," River guessed.

"_Super_parasites," the Doctor confirmed stepping closer to them. "Standing in the shadows of human history since the very beginning. We _know_ they influence human behavior any way they want. If they've been doing that on a _global_ scale for thousands of years…"

"Then what?" Rory asked when the Doctor trailed off.

"Why did we suddenly decide to go to the moon?" Olivia replied in realization, making the Doctor look to her with a smile as she finished, "Because the _Silence_ needed a spacesuit."

They all watched the launch of Apollo 11 before the Doctor's handheld beeped and Olivia looked to Rory when she heard Amy sobbing on the nanorecroder he still held, River still using her handheld on the suit.

"This suit," she said, watching the hand twitch. "It seems to be repairing itself. How's it doing that? Doctor, a unit like this…would it ever be able to move without an occupant?"

"Why?" the Doctor wondered.

"The little girl said the spaceman was _coming_ to eat her," Olivia recalled, stepping next to River who nodded to her. "Maybe that's _exactly_ what happened. It 'ate' her."

"_I love you_," they heard Amy as Rory now sat against a crate a yard or so away. "_I know you think it's him, I know you think it __ought__ to be him, but it's not, it's you and when I see you again, I'm gonna tell you properly, just to see your stupid face._" Olivia watched the Doctor head toward Rory as Amy continued, "_My life was so __boring__ before you just dropped out of the sky. So just get your stupid face where I can see it, ok?_"

"You're not angry?" River wondered at Olivia as they both examined the suit.

"I know who she's talking about," Olivia replied, not looking at her.

"Me too," River smirked, knowingly.

"Right!" the Doctor called, heading toward them again with a grin. "Time for my cunning plan! Liv…" She looked to him with a frown when he trailed off before he smirked, "Well, sound the call."

Realizing what he meant she couldn't help but grin, "Allons-y!"

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Amy re-awoke in a daze, wincing at the blinding light above her before she looked around and realized she was strapped into a chair in a spaceship…surrounded by the Silence.

"Where am I?" she questioned. "Where is this?"

"You are Amelia Pond," the Silent said, turning to her.

"You're _ugly_," she shot back. "Has anyone mentioned that to you?"

"We do you honor," the Silent replied. "You will bring the Silence. But your part will soon be over."

"Whatever _that_ means," Amy retorted. "You've made a big mistake, bringing me here, 'cause wait till you see what's coming for you now."

"You have been here many days," it told her.

"No, I just _got_ here," she argued. "You just _put_ me in here."

"Your memory is weak," it argued back, stepping closer to her. "You have been here many days."

"No, I _can't_ have been."

"You will sleep now."

The Silent inched closer to her face as she protested, struggling against her restraints…but the sound of the TARDIS engines filled the room, stopping it and the Silence in the room looked to it as it appeared and the Doctor opened the door.

"Oh, interesting," he said, looking around as he stepped out, followed by River and Olivia. "Very Aikman Road. I've seen one of these before. Abandoned. I wonder how that happened. Oh, well I suppose I'm about to find out."

"Everyone, keep one Silent in eyeshot," Olivia ordered as River lifted her gun and Rory stepped from the TARDIS, shutting the door behind him.

"Oh, hello!" the Doctor grinned at the Silence. "Sorry. Were you in the middle of something? Just had to say, though, have you seen what's on telly?"

Olivia marched around the console that the Silence were manning, carrying a TV as the Doctor followed right behind her.

"Oh, hello, Amy," he called as they passed her and Olivia set the TV down on the console. "You alright? Wanna watch some television? Ah! Now stay where you are. 'Cause look at me, I'm confident. You wanna watch that…me, when I'm confident."

"Set, Doctor," Olivia reported, pulling her Sonic from her jacket as she kept her eye on a Silent near her, River stepping up to the other side of the Doctor.

"Thanks Liv," he grinned, quickly turning to give her a wink before turning forward again. "Oh, and this is my friend River. Nice hair, clever, has her own gun, and unlike me, she really doesn't mind shooting people. I _shouldn't_ like that. Kind of do, a bit."

"Thank you, sweetie," River smiled, standing back to back with him.

"I know you're team players and everything," the Doctor continued. "But she'll definitely kill at least the first three of you."

"Well, the first seven, _easily_," River retorted.

"Seven, really?"

"_Eight_ for you, honey."

"Stop it."

"Make me."

"Yeah? Well maybe I will."

"Is this _important_ flirting?" Olivia wondered irritably, using her Sonic on the TV.

"Yeah, because I feel like _I_ should be higher on the list right now!" Amy added.

"Yes, right, sorry!" the Doctor replied as Rory ran to Amy to start unstrapping her. "As I was saying: My naughty friend, here, is going to kill the first three of you to attack, plus him behind, so maybe you want to draw lots or have a quiz. Or maybe you can just listen a minute. Because all I _really_ want to do is accept your total surrender and then I'll let you go in peace, yes. You've been interfering in human history for thousands of years, yes, people have suffered and died, but what's the point in two hearts, if you can't be a bit forgiving now and then?"

The Silent he was speaking to said nothing and only stared at him.

"Ooh, 'The Silence'," Olivia fake shivered, glancing around at them as the Doctor stepped back toward her and TV. "You guys take that seriously, don't you?"

"Ok, you've got me!" he admitted, turning the TV on then stepping back toward the Silent. "I'm lying. I'm not _really_ gonna let you go that easily. Nice thought, but it's not Christmas. First, you tell me about the girl. Who is she? Why is she important? What's she for?"

They said nothing as the live footage from the moon showed up on the TV.

"Sorry boys, but you're _way_ outta time now," Olivia warned the Silence.

"Did I introduce my friend, Olivia?" the Doctor smiled to the Silent. "She's clever too, _and_ American, so this is _very_ important to her. You have the stage, darling."

"Thank you, dear," Olivia smiled before looking to the Silence as the Doctor lifted the antenna on the TV. "Bit of history for you. You'll be so _proud_! 'Cause _you_ helped! Do you know how many people are watching this live on TV? _Half a billion_."

"And that's nothing," the Doctor chimed in, leaning on the TV. "Because the human race will spread out among the stars. You just watch them fly, billions and _billions_ of them for billions and _billions_ of years."

"And you know what?" Olivia continued. "Every single _one_ of them, at some point in their lives, will look back at this man taking that very first step and they'll never, _ever_ forget it."

She and the Doctor looked to the TV as it still went on.

"But they'll forget this bit," the Doctor added, pulling a phone from his jacket and speaking into it. "Ready?"

"_That's one small step for man—_"

"_You should kill us all on sight_," the Silent on the screen said.

The Doctor's plan had worked.

"You've given the order for your own execution," the Doctor explained. "And the whole planet just heard you."

"…_one giant leap for mankind_," Neil Armstrong continued.

"And one _whacking_ great kick up the rear for the Silence!" Olivia cheered. "_You_ just raised an army against yourself and now, for _thousands_ of generations, you're gonna order them to kill you every day."

"How fast can you run?" the Doctor wondered, facing off with the lead Silent. "Because today's the day the human race throw you off their planet. They won't even know they're doing it. I think, quite possibly, the word you're looking for right now is—oops."

"Run," Olivia called, seeing the electricity being drawn to the Silent. "Guys, I mean us! _Run_!"

She grabbed the Doctor's sleeve as the Silence attacked, hitting the TV instead of him with a zap from its huge middle finger.

"Well, this is new!" the Doctor called as Olivia grabbed his hand to pull him toward the TARDIS.

"What is?!" she shouted over River's shooting and the Silence zapping.

"_You_ dragging _me_ around!" he laughed, stopping them outside the TARDIS door. "Get inside! Start her up!"

"Run!" River called to Rory just as he got Amy out of the chair. "Into the TARDIS! Quickly!"

Olivia ran around the console as Rory got Amy inside, sitting her in the chair next to the console and Olivia looked to him with a frown.

"Where are they?!" she demanded.

"Out there!" Rory replied, making Olivia run toward the door again.

"Take care of Amy, don't touch the console yet!" she ordered as she leaned out the door, but ducked just as something hit the frame of the TARDIS door. "Doctor! River! Hurry up!"

"Don't let them build to full power!" the Doctor told River, using his Sonic on them as she shot them.

"I know! There's a reason why I'm shooting, honey!"

"Doctor! What are you doing?!" Olivia shouted.

"Helping!" he replied, standing back to back with River again.

"You idiot! You've got a _screwdriver_! Build a cabinet!" Olivia shot back, ducking again as she ran out to grab his arm and pull him toward the TARDIS.

"That's _really_ rude!"

"Learn how to drive!" River called, still shooting.

Olivia shoved the Doctor past her toward the console as she watched River take out every Silence in a graceful twirl until she stopped and twirled her gun on her finger, swiftly holstering it.

"Our old fella didn't see that, did he?" she smirked, sensing Olivia watching her. "He gets ever so cross."

"I'll bet," Olivia smirked back when she turned to her. "What kind of doctor are you, River?"

"Archeology," River replied, and Olivia's eyes widened when she spotted a Silent behind her, but River only shot it, without turning to it and it fell dead to the floor. Olivia lifted a brow at her with a smirk as River strolled through the door. "_Love_ a tomb."

"Olivia!" the Doctor called as she shut the door behind her, she and River running toward the console to fly. "River, you can let _us_ fly it!"

"Yeah, or we could go where we're _supposed_ to," River shot back as Olivia glanced up to see Rory and Amy making up with a kiss.

"Knew it," she smirked as River stopped next to her at the console.

"Me too," River smirked back.

"Liv," the Doctor murmured, suddenly on the other side of her, making her gasp and look up at him with wide eyes. "Can I speak with you?"

"Later," she replied, turning back to the console to operate it, making him frown.

"Later?" he echoed.

"Yup," she nodded. "We gotta pick up Canton, drop him off with Nixon, then drop off River at her Storm Cage and after we do all that, we'll talk."

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but Olivia only walked around him to head toward the stairs.

"Where's she going?!" he squeaked.

"Getting her jacket, I'd imagine," River replied, turning his gaze to her to stare at her in confusion at Olivia's dismissal, making River smirk at him. "Don't like it much?"

"Oh…shut it," he shot back, realizing he'd been given a taste of his own medicine and River couldn't help but chuckle as he began driving the TARDIS with her.

* * *

_Oval Office..._

"So we're safe again," Nixon smiled, shaking the Doctor's hand, Olivia leaning sideways on the TARDIS, River in the doorway, Rory on the other side of her and Amy on the couch near Olivia.

"Safe?" the Doctor echoed with a frown. "No, of course you're not _safe_. There's about a billion other things out there, just waiting to burn your whole world. _But_ if you want to _pretend_ you're safe just so you can sleep at night…ok, you're safe. But you're not, really."

"Not helping, dear," Olivia called, catching the confused look on Nixon's face.

"Canton," the Doctor smiled, shaking Canton's hand. "Until the next one, eh?"

"Looking forward to it," Canton replied as the Doctor turned back to Nixon.

"Canton just wants to get married," he told him. "Hell of a reason to kick him out of the FBI."

"I'm sure something can be arranged," Nixon nodded.

"I'm counting on you," the Doctor replied before heading toward the TARDIS.

"Uh, Doctor," Nixon called, stopping him. "Canton, here, tells me you're…you're from the _future_. It hardly seems possible, but I was wondering—"

"I should warn you," the Doctor cut in. "I don't answer a lot of questions."

"But I'm a president at the beginning of his time," Nixon insisted. "Dare I ask…will I be remembered?"

"Why don't I refer that to my American Liaison, Mrs. Sigma?" the Doctor smiled, turning to Olivia and holding his hand out to her. "Liv?"

She sighed through her nose with a smirk before shoving off the TARDIS and stepping toward them as the Doctor placed his hand on the small of her back, just below her jacket, to lead her next to him, making her swallow.

"Dicky," she smiled politely to Nixon. "_Tricky_ Dicky. They're _never_ gonna forget you." She winked and turned to head into the TARDIS, Rory, River and Amy heading in ahead of her as she threw one last thing over her shoulder at him. "Say 'Hi' to David Frost for us."

"David Frost?" Nixon murmured with a frown of wonder, but they ignored him as the Doctor stepped into the TARDIS after Olivia as she hurried toward the console with River by her side.

"Seriously, River, you can let us drive," the Doctor said again. "We're getting you back to the Storm Cage, yes?"

"Yes," River sighed with a smile before glancing to Olivia, adding, "I'll just go gather my things."

Olivia nodded to her as River headed toward the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS, Amy and River curiously looking over the console.

River nodded before heading toward the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS as Amy and Rory stood at the bottom.

"So," Olivia chirped, making the Doctor look up at her from his spot on the console as she turned to lean sideways on it, facing him. "What's your angle?"

"My what?" he frowned in wonder at her, neither one of them noticing Rory and Amy retreat to the stairs leading beneath the console to give them privacy.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I have no idea."

"Oh, like you thought I wouldn't be affected back at the warehouse when you stood so close to me and I _know_ you noticed it…"

"Liv—"

"Then that whole hand at the small of my back thing. You've never done that before. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were taking some tips from Jack Harkness's book of not-so-subtleties."

"Look, Liv, I honestly—"

"Oh, and of course 'giving me the stage' with the Silence _and_ Nixon. That was way too generous of you. You _love_ talking."

"Well, of course I do, but—"

"Stop lying to me, Theta." He met her gaze as she stepped toward him, stopping an inch away from him. "I'm not mad at you anymore, ok? Just don't ask me any more questions."

"Yes, I won't. River scolded me about it already."

Olivia smiled and nodded before wrapping her arms around him under his jacket, resting her head on his chest, feeling one of his hearts thump against her cheek.

"I hate it when we fight," she whispered. "I know it's not often but I still hate it."

"I know," he murmured, hugging her shoulders and setting his cheek on her head. "I hate it, too. And, to be honest, I _was_ trying to get you to like me again."

Olivia couldn't help but giggle as she lifted her head to rest her chin on his chest and grin up at him.

"You know I can't stay mad at you for long," she smirked.

"And I'm glad of it," he smiled, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before letting her go to operate the console. "Now, let's get River back to prison!"

"Let _me_ drive, darling," Olivia requested. "River taught me all the tricks."

"_I_ can drive!"

Olivia couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	6. Questions

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Questions**_

"See ya later, River," Olivia grinned as she hugged her tightly.

"Soon for both of us, I hope," River smiled as she returned Olivia's hug.

Amy and Rory said goodbye next before the Doctor opened the TARDIS door to let River step out and toward her cell in the Storm Cage. Olivia watched him follow her out, leaving the door ajar and she was tempted to follow them, but she knew had it been her, she would've wanted a private goodbye with him. She headed toward the console and leaned in front of the computer hanging over it, frowning in wonder when it turned itself on. She looked up to see the Doctor and River talking and tried to turn it off, but no matter what she did, it wouldn't switch off.

"Really?" she asked the TARDIS. "I know you do this to him to tick him off, but do I really have to see this?"

"See what?" Amy wondered, Rory following her as they stepped to either side of Olivia and Amy smirked, "Are you spying?"

"No, the thing just turned itself on," Olivia replied, irritably. "Not my fault."

"_You could come with us_," they heard the Doctor say from the screen.

"_I escape often enough, thank you_," River smirked back before adding, "_And I have a promise to live up to. You'll understand soon enough_."

"What does _that_ mean?" Rory frowned in wonder to no one in particular.

"_Ok. Up to you_," the Doctor replied, turning to head toward the TARDIS. "_See you next time. Call me_."

"_What?_" River smirked, making the Doctor turn back and step toward her again. "_That's it? What the matter with you?_"

"_Have I forgotten something?_" he wondered honestly, stopping in front of her.

"_Oh, shut up_," River grinned before grabbing his jacket to plant her lips to his.

"Ew," Amy blurted, turning away from the screen to sit in the chair next to the console and Rory's jaw dropped as Olivia's eyes remained glued to the screen.

"Olivia," Rory murmured. "You alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…this is the first time he's kissed her."

"So?"

"Back to front."

Olivia finally pulled herself away from the screen to rush toward the door and look out at River and the Doctor.

"What's wrong?" River asked of the Doctor's wide-eyed stare at her. "You're acting like we've never done that before."

"We haven't," the Doctor blurted as Olivia sagged back against the doorjamb of the TARDIS door.

"We haven't?" River echoed as realization crossed her face and the Doctor looked to his watch, nervously.

"Oh, look at the time. Must be off," he muttered before looking back at her and smiling, "Um, but it was very nice. It was…It was good. It was…unexpected."

Olivia swallowed as she watched him head toward her and step up into the threshold, before he turned back to River.

"You know what they say," he smiled. "'There's a first time for everything'."

Olivia moved out of the way to let the Doctor pass as she stared at River's depressed and disappointed expression with sorrow and sympathy.

"And a last time," River murmured.

"I'm sorry, River," Olivia breathed. "I'm so sorry."

River only nodded before turning into her cell to let the door shut and Olivia turned back into the TARDIS, shutting the door behind her to head toward the console.

"Rory I'm going to need thermocouplings," the Doctor announced. "The green ones and the blue ones."

"Ok, hold on," Rory replied, heading toward the small room at the bottom of another set of stairs as Olivia reached the console, still sulking.

"Liv, you alright?" the Doctor hoped as she leaned on the console next to him.

"I'm fine," she nodded with a slight smile before adding, "Enlightened."

He frowned at her in wonder but she only shook her head before they both looked to Amy as she stepped up next to her.

"So…Amy," Olivia smiled, drawing Amy's attention to her. "You're ok?"

"Fine," Amy replied. "Head's a bit…weird. There's loads of stuff I can't quite…remember."

She shook her head as if to shake the memories back to her.

"Aftereffect of the Silence," the Doctor explained. "Natural enough. But I don't think that's what she was asking."

"Nope," Olivia confirmed.

"You told us you were pregnant," the Doctor continued as Olivia nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I was. I mean…I _thought_ I was. Turns out…I wasn't."

"Get that, but why did you tell _us_?" Olivia wondered.

"Because you're my friends. You're my _best_ friends."

"Did you tell _Rory_?" Olivia asked.

"No."

"Amy, why tell us and not tell Rory?" the Doctor questioned.

"Why do you _think_?" Amy shot back.

"Don't know," he admitted.

"I traveled with you in the TARDIS for so long. All that time…If I _was_ pregnant for some of it, wouldn't it have had an effect? I don't wanna tell Rory his baby might have three heads or like a…_time_ head or something."

"What's a time head?" the Doctor smirked as Olivia snickered.

"I don't know, but what if it had one?" Amy shot back, unable to keep herself from laughing.

"A time head," Olivia laughed as the Doctor laughed as well.

"Shut up!" Amy laughed then looked to the room where Rory had been looking for those thermocouplings for a while and gently called, "Oi, stupid face!"

"Uh…yeah?" Rory called, stepping out of his hiding spot, holding her nanorecorder as the three looked to him. "Hello."

"Taking that away from you if you're gonna listen in all the time," Amy scolded as the Doctor and Olivia waved at him.

"Ok, that's a fair point," Rory admitted as he made his way up the stairs again. "_But_ you should've told me that you thought you were pregnant. I'm a _nurse_. I'm good with pregnancy."

"Not, as it turns out, that good," Amy chuckled, making her way to him when he was at the top of the stairs and wrapped her arms around his neck. "So, will you stop being stupid?"

"Uh, no," Rory shot back, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up to spin her as he finished, "I'm never _ever_ gonna stop being stupid."

"So," the Doctor called, running around the console, Olivia right behind him. "This little girl, it's all about _her_. Who was she?" He pulled the computer hanging above the console around to where he'd been standing, adding, "Or, we could just go off and have some adventures. Anyone in the mood for adventures? Because _I_ am. You only live once."

"Me!" Olivia grinned, shooting her hand into the air as the Doctor worked on the console to operate the scanner. "I'm _always_ in the mood for an adventure!"

"I _know_, you are," the Doctor grinned before looking to the scanner and Olivia followed his gaze to it with a frown.

"What are you doing?" Olivia whispered so low that Amy and Rory couldn't hear and the Doctor only nodded to the screen. She looked up at it with a frown when she read "Amelia Pond: Full body scan in progress: Pregnancy" and next to that was a picture of Amy's stomach, a sphere over it that read "Positive"…then "Negative" over and over again.

"What's that mean?" she frowned at him in wonder as he looked to Amy, and Olivia could tell the wheels in his head were turning.

"I don't know."

* * *

_Later..._

"I never would've thought we could _both_ fit in this swing," Olivia confessed to the Doctor as he sat in his repair swing under the console, Olivia sitting across his lap as he made repairs to the underside of the console.

"Told you we would," he replied deftly, not looking away from his work.

"Guess this is a better setup for repairs," she admitted. "Where're the Ponds?"

"Oh, probably _kissing_ somewhere," he sneered, making her giggle as she lifted a hand to play with his bowtie, making him stop working to look down at her. "What?"

"I have a question," he said, making her frown up at him.

"Ok," she nodded. "As long as it's not about—"

"It isn't," he cut in.

"Fire away, my love," she smiled.

"When we left River at the Storm Cage…you came back to the TARDIS upset," he recalled making her gaze meet his. "I could tell. What happened?"

She took in a deep breath before resting her head on his shoulder, still playing with his bowtie.

"I just realized how much _stronger_ River is than I am," she whispered, making him frown in wonder.

"What do you mean, stronger?" he wondered.

"I wouldn't be able to do it," she murmured. "I wouldn't be able to let you walk away from me after every adventure, not knowing when I'd see you again…_if_ I saw you again. That's how she's stronger. She can do it, even though it hurts her every time. I _know_ it does. It hurt _me_ every time you left."

"Oh, Liv," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her to hug her tightly, setting his cheek on her hairline. "That doesn't mean she's stronger. You just handle it differently, that's all. I love you just the way you are. I wouldn't have you stronger, weaker, or cleverer or less. It wouldn't be your style to just sit and wait for me…never has been, and I _love_ it."

"I just…admire her _and_ feel sorry for her at the same time."

He said nothing as he only held her.

"Theta?" she whispered, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Hm?" he hummed, neither one of them moving from the other's embrace.

"Is…Amy pregnant…or not?" she wondered, and he was silent for a long moment before giving his answer.

"I don't know," he murmured. "But I'm working on it. Stop thinking."

"How did you know I was thinking?" she wondered.

"Because I'm thinking about the same things you are," he confessed, making her pull back enough to meet his gaze and he smirked, "Shall I go down the list? Who's that little girl? Who are the Silence? Why does the Silence need that little girl? Why is River serving time in a Storm Cage? Who did she kill? How long is her sentence supposed to last—?"

"Theta," Olivia murmured, cutting him off and he looked to her in wonder as she smiled, "I was only thinking of those first three you listed. Nothing really about River."

"U-Oh…" he sputtered and she noticed his cheeks redden only slightly before he went back to working on the console above him as she smiled in amusement when they fell into a comfortable silence.

"Theta?" she murmured, lifting her arm to rest it on his shoulders to thread her fingers through his hair as he worked.

"Yes…?" he replied, distracted with his work again.

"What would you say…if I was pregnant?"

"What?!" he squeaked, nearly dropping his Sonic Screwdriver, but he successfully caught it before it fell to the floor below. His green eyes shot wide at her as she stared wide eyes at him for his reaction. "_Are_ you?!"

"No," she replied, making him sigh in relief and she set her jaw in irritation at both reactions. "I guess it's a good thing, if you're gonna act like _that_."

"Liv, I didn't mean it that way," he explained. "I just…didn't expect that kind of question."

"Well…what would you say if I was?"

"You of all people should know things don't always go as you predict. I just know…I'd be thrilled, Liv. If we were having a baby, I'd be so happy. I'd love it to death. But we should wait for the right time."

"When's the right time?" she wondered with a frown.

"W-What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well…" she trailed off for a moment, feeling her cheeks heat under his expectant stare. "I know we've never really talked about it, but…I'd eventually like to have kids."

"Oh…" he breathed before swallowing, hard. "W-Well…I don't think right now is the best time for children."

"Hence my question, when _is_ the right time?"

"I'll have to think about it. We can talk about it later, Liv. Right now, I think that's enough questions for today, don't you?"

"Actually, I have one more," she confessed, making him frown at her in wonder. She smiled slyly before inching close to his ear to whisper, "Can we try out the new setting on my Sonic?"

The Doctor dropped his Sonic again and tried catching it in mid-air again as it fell but was unable to succeed this time and it fell to the floor below with a few soft clangs, followed by Olivia's giggle.

"Sh-Sure," he choked before clearing his throat and looking to her. "Of course. Yes! Why not?!"

"I have a feeling you're gonna like it," Olivia smirked, sliding off his lap carefully to make her way out from under the console.

"I'm certain I will," he agreed, following after her and leaving his Sonic to grab it later when he eventually returned to the control room.

* * *

_Later..._

"Quick stop at mom's?" Olivia asked the Doctor as they ran around the console, Amy and Rory watching them. "I need to pack a bag."

"What for?" the Doctor wondered, as they sailed past each other, completely in sync with each other as they flew the TARDIS. "The wardrobe can make _anything_ you need, clothing wise."

"I _like_ some of the clothes in _my_ wardrobe at home," Olivia smirked, pulling her phone from her pocket as she strolled toward him when he stopped at a section of the console. "And anyway, I bought something after you dropped me off with my mom that I think you'll want me to wear later on."

The TARDIS shuddered violently, making every stumble and shout in surprise before the Doctor shoved something back into place to correct the ship.

"Liv, stop _doing_ that while I'm driving…and making repairs!" he hissed, making Olivia giggle as she pressed the phone to her ear, helping him fly the TARDIS with one hand.

"_Olivia!_" Joyce greeted from her phone. "_How are you, sweetie?_"

"Fine, mom," she smiled, pulling a lever into place that the Doctor had lifted up and making him glare at her, comically. "We're gonna come over tomorrow in the TARDIS. I gotta pick up some stuff."

"_Ok! Amy and Rory, too?_"

"Yup. They're dying for some of that cake you made for my wedding."

"_I'll have it ready! Can't wait to see you! Love you!_"

"Love you, too, mom," Olivia smiled. "See you later!" She hung up the phone and looked to the Doctor, saying, "Got that? Tomorrow, Earth time. Try to get us there _on time_, darling."

"Oh…shut it," he muttered, making her snicker. "Here we go! Los Angeles; Felton house…front lawn."

"Thank you, love," Olivia grinned, skipping toward the door as Amy and Rory followed behind, the Doctor shutting the door behind them as Joyce ran from the front door of the house.

"There's tea and cake ready for you," Joyce grinned before hugging Olivia tightly then hugging the Doctor as well.

"Amy, Rory, can I talk to you for a second," Olivia requested, taking one hand on each of them as the Doctor and Joyce spoke.

"What's wrong?" Rory wondered as the three entered the living room and she turned to the couple.

"You can't tell mom about what we saw," she whispered, making them frown at her in wonder.

"Why not?" Amy whispered back.

"Because…she won't handle it well," Olivia explained. "She'll end up telling him or freaking out…or both. Just don't tell her anything about the lakeside, ok? We saw River, we had an adventure, saved the world as usual, but that's _it_, ok?"

"Got it," Amy nodded as Rory gave a silent thumbs up, making Olivia smile and hug them both.

"Thank you," she grinned before pulling away. "I'll be upstairs. You guys visit. I'll be down in a bit."

A knock on the door made everyone frown around at each other before Olivia and Joyce headed toward the door.

"Aaron!" Olivia grinned when Joyce opened the door.

"Surprise!" Aaron grinned, his green eyes alight under fiery red hair as he held his arms out to present himself. Olivia threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly as he explained, "Your mom told me not to tell you our visits were coinciding so I could surprise you."

"And a lovely surprise it is," the Doctor grinned, stepping into the doorway as Olivia stepped away from Aaron to let them shake hands. "How are you, Aaron? How's Sarah Jane treating you?"

"Oh, she's smashing, Doctor," Aaron grinned, pulling his suitcase in as everyone backed away to let him through. "She never stops talking about you!"

"Alright, everyone in the kitchen," Joyce grinned, ushering them toward the kitchen and taking Aaron's suitcase, hugging him tightly. "It's nice to have a full house again."

"Nice to be home, Mrs. F," Aaron smiled, kissing her cheek as Olivia headed up the stairs.

"Everyone catch up!" she called. "I'll be down in a minute!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Aaron grinned, hurrying after her as she headed for her room and he caught up with her as they reached her door. "I haven't seen you since the wedding. Sarah Jane's been asking about you two since I went back, so spill."

Olivia's chin fell slightly as she opened her door and stepped into her room, not saying anything and making Aaron frown at her in wonder as he followed her in and shut the door behind him.

"Olivia?" he called as she began gathering a few clothes from her closet and dresser. "What happened? You two fighting already?"

"No," Olivia sighed, pulling a duffle bag from her closet to fill it.

She told him everything that had happened at the lakeside. She was surprised at how calm she was as she spoke, still packing her bag as Aaron listened intently until she reached the end of her story, zipping her bag up and staring at it for a moment as she murmured, "We can't tell him, Aaron. I saw him die…and I can't tell him. Amy wants to, I can see it, and I can understand why, but if he knows…he'll try to prevent his own death, and then…"

"He'll create a paradox," Aaron nodded in understanding when she trailed off and she looked to him with a smile.

"I forget you understand this stuff now," she smirked.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he sighed, stepping toward her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders to hug her sideways. "I wish there was something I could do."

"I just wanna know why," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Why did he do that to me?"

"He didn't just do it to _you_, babe," Aaron reminded her. "Amy and Rory and River were there too. It hurt them just as much as it hurt you."

"But I still don't…understand. And where was _I_ while he was being killed? Why wasn't the future me there? River said I had a future with him. Was I…?"

"Stop it, Olivia." Aaron placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face him, meeting her teary gaze. "You're thinking. You need to stop thinking. Whatever happens, happens, and you'll find out where you were that day. You keep thinking you're gonna drive yourself crazy like you did while you were working at Torchwood, wondering where he was. Just stop."

Olivia sniffled and wiped her face when a tear ran down her cheek then nodded, "You're right. I just…"

"I know," he nodded pulling her into him again to hug her close. "You know you can text me or call me whenever you need to talk, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I might take you up on that."

"Good. Now come on. I want some of Mother Joyce's delicious cake."

She couldn't help but giggle as he led her toward the door, her bag in hand.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	7. Siren

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Siren**_

"Liv! Hurry up!" the Doctor called from the TARDIS door as Olivia hugged her mother and Aaron goodbye, Amy and Rory already inside.

"My husband's in a hurry," Olivia smirked at Joyce as Aaron laughed before she turned and ran toward the TARDIS. "Coming! Coming! Where are we going?"

"Anywhere we want!" he grinned, moving aside to let her step inside and shutting the door behind her. "But we have to lift off first!"

"Very funny," Olivia shot back as they ran up the stairs toward the console. "You act like I took an eternity! Time is _nothing_ to you! It's like a book you've read once before and you just skip back through it to read over the good parts."

"That is _very_ accurate," Rory pointed out as the two began flying the TARDIS.

"Not unlike what Madame de Pompadour said about me once," the Doctor added.

"You _met_ Madame de Pompadour?" Amy questioned.

"Why am I not surprised?" Olivia muttered.

"Now, Liv, don't be bitter," the Doctor chided.

A beeping came from the scanner, making all of them crowd around it, the Doctor in the center.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Distress signal," he replied before turning to operate the console.

"We following it?" Olivia guessed, operating the console as well.

"Of course," he chirped, before the TARDIS came to a shuddering halt. "Right! Out the door! Let's see what we find!"

"Where and when are we?" Rory wondered as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand to drag her toward the door.

"Seventeenth century!" the Doctor explained. "On a ship."

"A seventeenth century ship with the ability to send a distress signal that a _spaceship_ could pick up?" Olivia frowned in wonder as he opened the door then turned a grin to her.

"I know," he grinned before pulling her out the door and into the dark bilge of a ship, water splashing around their feet as Amy and Rory followed. "Now, let's find out what's going on here."

The Doctor pulled Olivia up the stairs leading to the deck, but the hatch was covered by heavy wood. They both knocked on the wood when they heard voices nearby, and when they were finally able to open the cover the Doctor greeted the sailors crowded around the hatch.

"Yo, ho, ho!" he grinned, making Olivia slap a hand to her face in exasperation. "Or does nobody actually say that?"

* * *

_In the Captain's Cabin..._

"We made no signal," the captain argued after the Doctor explained their presence.

"Our sensors picked you up," the Doctor explained. "'Ship in distress'."

"Sensors?" the captain frowned in confusion.

"Yes," the Doctor replied.

"Simplify, darling," Olivia suggested from behind him. "It's the seventeenth century, remember? Problem word."

"Right," the Doctor nodded before explaining. "My ship automatically noticed-ish that _your_ ship was having some bother."

"That big, blue crate?" the captain retorted and the Doctor snapped his fingers before pointing to him in approval.

"That's more magic, Captain Avery," his first mate objected. "They're spirits. How else would they have found their way belowdecks?"

"Well…I want to say multidimensional engineering but since you had a problem with sensors, I won't go there," the Doctor replied. "Look, I'm the Doctor, this is Amy, Rory, Olivia." He stepped toward Avery and lightly punched his arm, grinning, "We're sailors! Same as you! Arr!"

Olivia swallowed when Avery cocked his gun and aimed it at the Doctor's face.

"Except for the gun thing," the Doctor added. "And the beardiness."

"You're stowaways!" Avery snapped. "Only explanation. Eight days, we've been stranded here, becalmed. You must have stowed away before we sailed."

"What do we do with them?" the first mate growled.

"Oh, I think they deserve our hospitality," Avery replied, making the Doctor grin.

"Stop grinning, Doctor," Olivia ordered gently, making him frown at her.

"Take them on deck and set the plank out," Avery ordered.

"Oh," the Doctor blurted before they were all grabbed by their arms and dragged from the cabin. "Well, this isn't good."

"What was your first clue?!" Olivia snapped, struggling to be free as they were pulled across the deck, the plank being set up for them to walk out to sea.

"The Doctor will go first!" Avery announced.

"No!" Olivia shouted, struggling as they were all dragged closer to the plank and the Doctor was shoved up onto the plank as they all laughed.

"I suppose laughing like that is in the job description," the Doctor guessed, balancing on the plank. "'Can you do the laugh? Check. Grab yourself a parrot. Welcome aboard.'"

"Now is not the time to be snarky!" Olivia snarled at him, still struggling against her captor with Amy and Rory doing the same.

"Stocks are low," Avery explained. "Only one barrel of water remains. We don't need four more empty bellies to fill. Take the doxies below to the galley. Set them to work. They won't need much feeding."

"Oh, _hell_ no! Let me go!" Olivia snarled as she and Amy were dragged away.

"Rory, a little help!" Amy called.

"Yeah, hey! Listen, right? They're not doxies," Rory told them.

"I didn't mean just tell him off, but thanks anyway," Amy shot back before she was shoved down a hatch, Olivia right behind her.

"Come on, Amy, let's find something to fight back with," she whispered and Amy opened a chest to find loads of swords inside.

"Olivia! Look!" she called, and the other girl was soon at her side staring at the swords in wonder as Amy pulled one out.

"What are all these swords doing in _here_?" Olivia wondered, pulling one out as well. "The men should be wearing them. They shouldn't be stashed away like this."

"Who cares? Just take one and let's get up there!" Amy shot back as Olivia spotted coats and hats hanging on hooks nearby.

"Here, take this," Olivia told her, tossing her a coat as she put one on herself and as she passed Amy to head up the stairs she placed a hat on her head. "Let's go."

They climbed out of the hatch and snuck back toward the group as the Doctor still stood on the plank.

"Where are the rest of the crew?" he asked. "This is a big ship. Big for five of you. I suppose the rest of them are hiding someplace…" The Doctor plugged his nose, continuing, "…and they're all gonna jump out and shout 'Boo!'"

"Boo!" Olivia and Amy shouted, standing behind Avery, their swords drawn.

"Throw the gun down," Amy ordered, and Avery looked terrified as he set the gun near their feet and Olivia kicked it away.

"On your knees, lads," Olivia ordered.

"Amy, Olivia, what are you doing?" the Doctor demanded.

"Saving your life," Amy shot back. "Ok with that, are you?"

"Put down the swords," Avery ordered. "A sword could kill us all."

"Yeah, kinda of why we're pointing them at you," Olivia smirked back.

One of the men came out of nowhere and used a long staff to try hitting the girls but they both stepped back and used their swords on their attackers as another man came up to fight them. The Doctor climbed down from the plank to help them, but Avery shoved him against the rigging as his men fought the girls, one man holding onto Rory so he wouldn't help them either. Olivia kept two of the men at bay as Amy fought with one other, the Doctor unable to help grinning as he watched them.

"Olivia! Over here!" Amy called, running toward a rope when they were being overwhelmed by their attackers and Olivia climbed after Amy as she grabbed a rope and she swung over the men, slashing her sword through the air and cutting one of them before she ended up on top of a barrel next to one of the masts.

"You have killed me," he told her as everyone stilled.

"No way!" Amy shot back. "It's just a cut! What kind of rubbish pirates are you?"

"One drop, that's all it takes," Avery explained. "One drop of blood, and she'll rise out of the ocean."

"Come on, I barely even scratched him. What are you all in such a huff about?!"

"Amy! Look out!" Olivia shouted as one of the men marched toward her and Amy attempted to swing back toward Olivia but the sailor caught her legs and she lost her sword. Rory ran toward her to help her and her sword cut him as Olivia climbed off the rigging to help Amy as well, the Doctor hurrying toward them as Olivia was caught by another man, but everyone stilled when they saw Rory look at his hand.

"Uh, Doctor what's happening to me?" he asked, lifting his hand to show off a black spot in the center of his palm.

"She can smell the blood on your skin," Avery explained. "She's marked you for death."

"She?" Rory echoed.

"A demon," Avery replied. "Out there, in the ocean."

"Ok, groovy!" the Doctor grinned, making everyone frown at him as he stepped toward Rory to examine his hand. "So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a _demon_ popping in. Very efficient. I mean, if something's going to kill you it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you."

"Get off me!" Olivia growled at the pirate holding her but when he released her she stumbled at the sudden slack and into the mast nearby, a prick on her hand startling her. "Ow!"

All eyes shot to her as she looked to her hand and yanked out a huge splinter that made her hand bleed. Her eyes widened when she felt some tingling on her palm and immediately after, a black spot appeared in the center of it.

"Doctor," she called, warily before looking up at him in panic then lifting her palm to show it to him and he marched toward her to examine her hand. "Am I gonna die?"

"You and I both know that demons and ghosts and such are usually just things from other planets in a form we recognize as something supernatural," he murmured to her, lifting a hand to her chin to bring her gaze to his. "Trust me, Liv."

"Of course I trust you, but—"

She was cut off when a beautiful voice suddenly filled the air around them, making them all look around for the source.

"Quickly, now," one of the men ordered. "Block out the sound."

"What?" Rory frowned.

"The creature," Avery explained. "She charms all her victims with that song."

"Oh, great," Rory shot back. "So put my fingers in my ears. _That's_ your plan?"

"Doctor, come on, let's get back to the…" Olivia trailed off into a sudden fit of giggles as Rory and the pirate Amy had cut grinned like fools.

"The music," the first mate realized. "It's working on them."

"You are so beautiful!" Rory told Amy, making her frown at him in confusion as he stumbled toward her. "I love your getup. It's great. You should dress like a pirate more often. Hey…hey…cuddle me, shipmate."

"Rory, stop!" Amy ordered firmly when he went to hug her.

"Olivia," the Doctor called cautiously as she giggled at the scene before turning to him and throwing herself into his arms.

"Doctor, my Doctor!" she grinned before taking his face into her hands, squishing it into a funny face as she breathed, "Everything is just _brilliant_! Look! Brilliant pirates, brilliant beards and _you_ are brilliant! I should've let you keep your beard. I'm sorry."

"I'd like a beard," Rory chimed in before stumbling toward the other pirate to tell him, "I'm gonna grow a beard."

"You're not!" Amy shot back.

"You could grow your beard back, darling," Olivia told the Doctor, still holding onto his face and now moving her hands over his cheeks, puckering her lips as she added, "And you can dress like a pirate, too."

"Liv…really scaring me right now," the Doctor warned, his voice muffled as she still squished his face.

"The music turns them into fools," Avery explained as the Doctor pulled Olivia's hands from his face but didn't let her wrists go.

"Oh, my god," Amy blurted as she stared out to sea, sending everyone's gaze in that direction.

They all saw a circle of green light coming from the water as the Siren's song continued. A moment later they watched a woman in a flowing dress rise up from the light, glowing mystically as she floated onto the deck and glided toward the group. Amy grabbed onto Rory as he stared in awe at her and the Doctor held onto Olivia as she tried to step toward her but the pirate Amy had cut stepped passed all of them. He reached out with a goofy grin as she held her hand toward him and when he barely touched the tip of her finger, he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Rory forced his way toward her as Amy still held onto her, crying, "I have to touch her! Let me touch her!"

Amy shoved Rory aside and marched a step ahead to snap at the Siren, "Sorry, but he is spoken for."

The Siren shrieked, turning red and baring her teeth and sending Amy flying across the deck before she returned to normal and began her song again.

"Amy!" the Doctor called, holding onto Olivia who struggled to pull herself from his grasp to touch the Siren, but he dragged her with him to check on Amy. "Everybody into the hold! Take her!"

Avery grabbed onto Olivia's arm as the Doctor handed her to the captain and she struggled against him.

"No! Let me touch her!" Olivia nearly whined as Avery pulled her down the hatch and the Doctor helped Amy stand, but caught sight of Rory stumbling toward the Siren.

"Rory!" the Doctor called before letting Amy get down the hatch and running after him, pulling him away as he struggled.

They all stumbled down the stairs into the hold of the ship before Amy demanded, "What the hell was that thing?"

"A legend," Avery replied. "A Siren. Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed, picking off the injured."

"Like a shark," the first mate added. "A shark can smell blood."

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, trying to ignore Olivia stumbling all over him, but he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her against him. "Just like a shark…in a dress…and singing…and _green_! A green, singing shark in an evening gown."

Olivia went into another fit of giggles but whether it was from what he'd said or from being under the influence of the Siren he had no idea.

"The ship is cursed!" Avery snapped at him.

"Yeah, right, curses, big with humans," the Doctor noticed. "It means bad things are happening, but you can't be bothered to find an explanation."

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory blurted out to Amy.

"Actually, I think you'll find she isn't," Amy retorted before leaning toward the Doctor as Rory hugged her close and she ordered, "We have to leave, right now."

"No!" Olivia whined. "I wanna stay! There's pirates!"

"That crate of yours really is a ship?" Avery asked, skeptically as they looked to the TARDIS.

"Well, it's not propelled by the wind," the Doctor replied.

"Show me!" Avery demanded, holding his gun toward the Doctor. "Weigh anchor. Make it sail."

"And the gun's back," the Doctor noticed, irritably. "You're big on the gun thing, aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating. Ever met Freud? No." He leaned his head back to wishfully sigh, "Comfy sofa."

"Leave the cursed ones, Captain," one of the men suggested. "The creature can have them."

"Yes, please," Rory blurted, but the Doctor slapped a hand over Olivia's mouth when her eyes lit up and she was about to say something similar.

"Not a chance," the Doctor replied for her.

"We don't want the Siren coming after us," Avery told the Doctor.

One of the men shouted in pain as he lifted his leg from the bilge water around them, something attached to his shin.

"It's a leech!" Amy shouted.

"Everyone, out of the water!" the Doctor ordered and everyone hurriedly climbed out, Amy dragging Rory with her as he was currently dead, foolish weight, and the Doctor lifted Olivia up effortlessly next to him.

"It's bitten me," the sailor realized, pulling it off him to reveal a trail of blood. "I'm bleeding!"

He looked to his hand warily before showing off the black spot on his palm to everyone else.

"She's wants blood," the Doctor theorized. "Why does she want blood?"

"What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?" Amy retorted to the sailor.

"It's ok," the Doctor reassured them. "We're safe down here. No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber."

As if on cue the Siren appeared behind him, singing and making the Doctor shout in surprise as he turned to her, holding Olivia back as she instantly tried to reach out to touch her.

"Hello, again," he said, pulling Olivia back with all his strength. "Really, Liv, now's not the time to try to make my dreams come true."

"I have to touch her!" Olivia strained against him as the sailor stood to head toward her and Amy held Rory back.

"Any other time you'd have slapped me for saying that," the Doctor observed, pulling her back with the group as the other sailor's tried to pull their friend back.

He pulled away from their grasp and touched the Siren, disappearing into a plume of smoke as the earlier sailor had. His hat fell into the water and the Doctor grabbed it before helping Amy drag Rory and Olivia out of the room and into another where they locked themselves in.

"Safe?" Amy retorted, sarcastically.

"I have my good days and my bad days," the Doctor defended, using his Sonic on the hat.

"How did she get in?" Avery demanded as the Doctor looked to the results.

"Bilge water," he explained. "She's using water like a portal…a door. She can materialize through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank god we're not in the middle of the ocean!" Amy shot back as she tried to fight off Rory's clingy-ness and Olivia hugged the Doctor's arm, setting her chin on his shoulder as he slid the hat on his head and she giggled.

"Did you see her eyes?" Rory breathed. "Like crystal pools."

"You are in enough trouble," Amy scoffed, forgiving since she knew he was under alien influence.

"The magazine," Avery suggested.

"What?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"He means the armory where the powder's stored," the Doctor explained then grunted when Olivia threw her arms around him, slamming into his chest.

"It's dry as a bone," Avery assured them.

"Good, let's go there," the Doctor said.

"_I_ give the orders," Avery told him, pointing his gun in the Doctor's face again.

"Ah," the Doctor hummed with a slight smirk. "Worried because I'm wearing a hat now." He hurried past the three sailors, dragging a giggling Olivia with him as Amy struggled with a drunk-like Rory and he reminded them, "Nobody touch anything sharp!"

Once they reached the door the first mate searched the keys on his belt, but was taking too long for everyone's comfort.

"Quickly, man," Avery urged.

"The key's gone, Captain," he replied.

"How could it have gone?!" Avery demanded but the Doctor stepped toward the door and only shoved it slightly to open it, making it creak as it rolled in its hinges.

"Someone else had the same idea," the Doctor observed. He pulled Olivia inside as the others followed.

"Barricade the door," Avery ordered as his first mate lit a lantern and pulled it from its hook on the ceiling. "Careful of that lantern. Every barrel is full of powder."

"Who's been sleeping in my gunroom?" the Doctor wondered, as if he were one of the three bears looking for Goldilocks.

Avery suddenly heard coughing and opened one of the barrels to look inside where the noise was coming from. His eyes went wide as he reached in and pulled a child from the barrel, shoving him against the wall and growling, "You fool! You fool, boy! What are you doing here?"

"Who is he?" the first mate questioned.

"What? He's not one of the crew?" the Doctor wondered.

"No," Avery sighed. "He's my son."

He sat him down on one of the benches the boy, Toby, had made for a bed and sat a foot away from him as Olivia looked around with a frown, starting to come to her senses, but the Doctor still held onto her.

"What in god's name possessed you, boy?" Avery questioned Toby. "Your mother will be searching for you." Toby looked away in sorrow and Avery read the look in his eyes, realizing what had happened. "When?"

"Last winter," Toby explained. "Fever. She told me all about you. How you were a captain in the Navy. An honorable man, she said…how I'd be proud to know you." He paused to cough again as Avery looked ashamed. "I've come to join your crew."

"I don't want you here."

"You can't send me back. It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home."

"It's dangerous here. There's a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin."

"The black spot?" Toby asked before revealing the spot on his hand and the Doctor stepped toward him as he coughed again. Avery examined him from head to toe, looking for any injuries, and the Doctor pulled Olivia back toward Amy and Rory, but when she didn't move he frowned down at her.

"I wanna stay with him," she murmured, meeting his gaze and he gave a smile.

"Feeling yourself again, are you?" he noticed.

"Yeah," she nodded before rubbing her temples. "Just a headache."

"You should stay with Amy and Rory," he advised.

"But…"

"Please," he urged, making her nod as she stepped toward the couple as Rory was starting to feel like himself as he examined his cut.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy," Avery reported to them. "He has no scars."

"Yep," the Doctor sighed. "Ignore my last theory."

"He has his good days and his bad days," Amy chimed in.

"It's not just blood," he resumed. "She's coming for all the sick and wounded."

"Like a hunter picking off the weakest animal," Olivia compared.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "Good to have you back, Liv."

"Ok, look, he's got a fever. The Siren knows it," Amy observed.

"Humans," the Doctor hummed. "Second rate. Damaged too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets…bruised. My ship, it can sail us all away from here. Avery, you and me, we fetch it. Let's go."

"You're not the captain here, remember?" Avery warned the Doctor, drawing his gun again.

They all jumped when they heard a shriek come from a corner and whirled around to see that Toby had pulled the lid off one of the water barrels and the Siren's hand reached out, her song instantly starting. The Doctor ran toward him and grabbed the lid to shove it over the barrel again, cutting the Siren off.

"The water's dangerous!" Avery snapped at Toby. "That's how she gets through! One touch of her hand and you're a dead man!"

"Stop yelling at him!" Olivia snapped, marching past him as he stared at her in surprise and she placed her hands on Toby's shoulders. "He didn't know, did he?!"

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard," the first mate prophesied.

"It's not a curse," the Doctor argued. "Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are _not_ helpless! Captain, what's out next move?"

Avery thought for a moment before pulling the pendant he wore from around his neck to hang it on Toby's.

"Wait with the boy," he ordered his men.

"Captain, we're all in danger here," the first mate reminded her as he and the other sailor moved the barricade from the door.

"I said wait," Avery ordered. "And barricade the door after we've gone."

"You sure you wanna go?" Amy asked the Doctor.

"We have to get Liv, Rory and Toby away," he said. "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling the saucepan, grating the cheese."

"Ok," Amy drawled. "Well remember, if you get an itch…don't scratch too hard."

"We've all gotta go sometime," the Doctor smirked, making Amy and Rory glance at each other as Olivia stood next to Toby, a protective hand around his shoulders. "There are worse ways than having your face knocked off by a dodgy mermaid."

"Doctor, stop it," Olivia pleaded softly, drawing his attention to her and he stepped closer to her in time to catch her when she threw her arms around his neck. "I wanna go with you, but I know I can't. _Please_ be careful."

"I'll be right back, Liv," he promised, pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling back enough to smile warmly at her. "Kiss for luck?"

Without a word she pressed her lips to his and savored the short, tender kiss before they pulled away and he turned to head out the door after Avery, heading for the TARDIS to get them all out of here.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	8. Medics

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Medics**_

Olivia watched Amy pace as she sat with Toby, Rory stepping up to his wife and asking, "What's wrong?"

Amy stopped, her back facing Rory and he leaned over to see her face as she muttered, "The most beautiful thing you've ever seen."

"Oh, tell me I didn't really say that," he groaned.

Olivia smirked before looking to the sailors at the door removing the barricade of barrels from it.

"What are you doing?" Olivia called, standing and heading toward them, Toby right next to her.

"We're not staying here to molly-coddle the boy," the first mate retorted. "The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave."

"He told you to wait, you dog," Toby shot back, and Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him from advancing on the men. "He's your captain. A Naval Officer. You're honor-bound to do as he tells you."

"Honor-bound?" the first mate echoed, mockingly as Olivia pulled Toby back to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Do you _know_ what kind of ship this is? Do you know what your father does?"

"Don't listen to him, Toby," Amy advised.

"We sail under the black flag…the Jolly Roger," the first mate continued.

"Liar!" Toby snarled, trying to advance on him, but the three held him back. "He's not a wicked pirate!"

"Oh, you think so?" the first mate mocked. "I've seen your father gun down a thousand innocent men."

Toby glared at him before turning to run into the room, making Amy and Rory frown at him, but Olivia kept her glare on the two sailors.

"Get what treasure you can," the first mate told the other sailor. "I'll meet you in the rowboat."

"You're going to remain at your post," Toby ordered, coming between Amy and Rory to point a cutlass at the pirates.

"I'm not playing games with you, boy," the first mate warned, eyeing the sword warily. "You put that down."

"One more step, and I'll use this, you blackguard," Toby ground out.

"You don't know how to fight with a cutlass, boy," the first mate assumed.

"I reckon he doesn't need to," Olivia realized.

Toby moved forward and cut the first mate's hand, making him stare at it in panic before turning his hand over to see the Black Spot on his palm.

"You little swabber," he shuddered.

"Congratulations," Amy retorted. "Made it to the menu."

"I wouldn't go out there, if I were you," Olivia advised.

"You scurvy ape!" the first mate snapped, drawing his pistol and Toby lifted the cutlass again.

"Don't _shoot_!" Rory snapped, irritably. "The powder will blow and kill us all!"

The sailor grabbed the keys from the first mate's belt, making him question, "Mulligan, what are you doing?"

Mulligan said nothing as he turned and marched out the door.

"No honor among pirates," Amy mocked him.

The first mate shuddered before finally lowering his gun to barricade the door again and Olivia took the sword from Toby's hand and tossed it away before tousling his hair. Toby led the three to a nook in the barrels where he sat himself in the corner as the adults sat around him. They all jumped when they heard a gunshot from outside and Olivia resisted the urge to look at the door as she twirled her Psychic Band on her ring finger, nervously.

"I'm sure the Doctor's fine, Olivia," Rory assured her.

She could only nod as she watched Toby pull the medallion from around his neck to examine it. Olivia noticed the image on it was a mermaid and found it ironic that Avery would be using it as a good luck charm when that's what was hunting them. She smiled as she watched him polish it with a rag, but jumped again when rapid knocking came to the door.

"Olivia! Open the door!" the Doctor shouted from the other side.

They all jumped up and Amy, Rory and Olivia hurriedly moved the barricade from the door, letting the Doctor run in and straight for Toby. He grabbed the medallion from him and breathed on it, making the couple frown at each other as Olivia stared at him in wonder. She was about to question him as he gave a thumbs up to Avery but he ran out of the room, the captain right behind him.

"Ok, that was weird…even for him," Olivia muttered and was about to follow him, but Amy grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" she questioned. "You can't go out there. The Siren will get you."

"Oh…" Olivia trailed off, looking at the spot on her hand and forlornly.

It wasn't long before the Doctor and Avery returned and explained everything they'd seen and learned, the Doctor telling them their plan.

"Just wait?" Rory questioned the plan.

"Not my most dynamic plan, I realize," the Doctor conceded.

"TARDIS," Amy suggested.

"It's been towed," he reported, making Olivia stare at him with wide eyes.

"What?" she ground out.

"Sorry, we might be stuck here for a while," he added, trying to avoid Olivia's burning gaze before finally turning to her, saying, "It wasn't my fault! She got sulky then had a tantrum! We could've been thrown into the Vortex and ended up anywhere!"

"So you're saying we should all just wait here below?" Rory questioned.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror," Avery explained. "If we go out on deck she'll rise up and attack you."

"It's ok," the Doctor assured them. "The calm won't last forever. When the wind picks up, we'll all set sail."

"Until it does, you _have_ to hide down here," Avery ordered.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia woke to the sound of thunder, making her shoot up to sit upright just as the ship rocked and she slid into one of the barrels.

"Ow!" she growled in pain before the door flung open to reveal a soaking wet Doctor as Rory and Toby awoke as well.

"It's raining!" he grinned as Olivia tried to stand but stumbled into the barrel again when the boat rocked again. He reached out and grabbed her wrist to pull her out the door, "Come on! All hands on deck!"

Rory and Toby hurried after them and when the Doctor dragged Olivia out into the rain, she couldn't help but grin and stop on deck to stand in the pouring rain, instantly soaked.

"Quit doddling, wench!" Avery shouted from the rigging, making her look to him with wide eyes. "Get to work on that rigging!"

"Aye, Captain! Aye!" Olivia grinned as she set to work with the rest of them.

"Let go the sail!" Avery called over the rain. "Avast, ye! Put the banding at the second, the clews!"

"I swear he's making half this stuff up!" Amy shouted as she pulled on a rope.

"Well, we're gonna need some kind of phrase book!" Rory shouted to Avery.

Olivia was shoved against the railing on one side but couldn't help but laugh as she looked to the helm to the Doctor manning the ship as Avery worked on the rigging. She shoved herself off and ran past Toby just as he came on deck.

"Toby!" Avery shouted at him. "Find my coat! My compass is inside it, boy!" Toby went down to the hold as Avery shouted at the rest, "Heave-ho, you bilge rats!"

"Rats was all I could hear!" Rory shouted back, hanging on the rigging.

Toby came back on deck with Avery's coat, but as he struggled with it, something fell from it with a clang. Everyone stopped when they heard it and stared at the crown rolling across the deck…a reflective surface everyone thought was gone. The Siren's Song began as she emerged from the crown and rose into the air before floating down to land in front of Toby who stared at her in awe.

"Don't let her take you!" Avery shouted at Toby as Olivia and Rory tried to reach for her, Toby reaching for her as well. "No!"

Toby disappeared in a plume of smoke as Amy kept Rory at bay…but Olivia was still heading toward her as the Siren still sang, now singing to her.

"Stop her!" the Doctor shouted, clambering toward Olivia as she reached for the Siren. "Olivia! Stop!"

"So…beautiful," Olivia breathed, stepping toward her.

"Get away!" he shouted, trying to get to the crown, but when he grabbed it to toss it overboard, he heard her scream and looked up to see she'd gone in a cloud of smoke. "_Olivia_!"

* * *

_On the Other Side..._

Olivia groaned as she awoke, rolling onto her back and rubbing her head as she opened her eyes. She instantly frowned as she sat up and looked around the dark…very futuristic surroundings.

"Ok," she drawled. "I'm _definitely_ not on a sailing ship."

She struggled to stand as she looked around, but when she looked ahead her eyes widened at the sight of the ship she'd been on, the storm raging on and she could see everyone on deck…except Rory.

"Where's Rory?" she wondered, seeing the Doctor grabbing Amy by the arms, speaking to her, though she couldn't hear what he was saying or the rain pouring outside. "Doctor! Doctor! I'm alright! I'm in here! Doctor!"

She frowned in wonder as he lifted the lid on the barrel of water, releasing the Siren and he spoke to her before she dove into the water. She could see him talking to the others before it looked like they all pricked their hands, and the Siren returned, singing her song and making them all reach out to her. She jumped when she heard three thumps come from behind her and whirled around to see Avery, Amy and the Doctor lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Theta!" she grinned, rushing toward him and kneeling next to him as he awoke. "Doctor, are you ok?"

"Fine," he groaned before looking around with a frown as Amy and Avery awoke was well.

His gaze fell on her and without a word the Doctor clamped his hand down on the nape of Olivia's neck and pulled her toward him, her lips crashing onto his and sending her eyes wide in surprise. It didn't take long for her eyes to flutter shut as she matched his passion, wrapping her arms around his neck as he laid back and pulled her with him.

"God, now I know how you feel when Rory and I kiss in front of you," Amy sneered in disgust as Avery stared around the room in awe. "Get up and get a room!"

The couple finally came up for air and Olivia couldn't help but grin, making him grin in return.

"I'm glad you're alright," he murmured.

"So am I," she smirked before shoving off of him and helping him stand.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, looking around in wonder.

"We haven't moved," the Doctor replied, looking out the window in front of them. "We're in exactly the same place as before."

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery guessed.

"It's real," Olivia corrected. "It's a spaceship trapped in a temporal rift."

"How can two ships be in the same place?" Amy wondered.

"Not the same," the Doctor explained. "Two planes, two worlds. Two cars parked in the same place."

"See, there's lots of different universes inside each other," Olivia explained. "Once in a while they collide so that you can step from one to the other."

"Ok," Amy nodded. "I…I understand."

"Good, 'cause it's not like that at all, but if that helps…" the Doctor retorted, trailing off as Olivia rolled her eyes at him.

"Thanks," Amy retorted at him.

"All the reflections have suddenly become gateways," he resumed before grabbing something from the floor and tossing it toward the window. It went straight through the glass as if it were a bubble and they saw the piece of metal bounce off the deck. "Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole other world? Well, this time it's not an illusion."

An alarm caught their attention, making them turn into the ship and cautiously head deeper into it.

"A signal," Amy realized.

"Yeah," the Doctor replied, heading up a set of stairs with Olivia right behind him, Avery following the three.

"A distress call," Olivia added. "This is the one we picked up. There was a second ship here the whole time."

They fell silent when they heard singing and the Doctor murmured, "The Siren is onboard."

He stopped at a door and opened it only to jump back as it revealed an alien skeleton. Avery drew his gun to aim it at the thing, but the Doctor placed his hand on Avery's to lower the gun.

"It's dead," Olivia assured him before they inched past it and into the hall they'd revealed, stepping into a cockpit with a window with a view of Avery's cabin on his ship.

"You were right," Amy told the Doctor as he stepped next to the skeleton slumped in one of the two seats to examine. "There was something staring at us the whole time. How long has this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the captain to have run out of grog," Avery guessed.

"So if this is the captain, what's the Siren?" Olivia wondered as the Doctor pulled out his Sonic to scan the skeleton.

"Same as us," he answered. "A stowaway."

"She killed it," Amy guessed of the captain's death as he looked at the results.

"Human bacteria," the Doctor corrected.

"An airborne virus from our planet traveling through the portal," Olivia realized as the Doctor moved to lean on the console in front of the skeleton. "That's what did it. Like _War of the Worlds_."

"It didn't get its…_jabs_," the Doctor said, drawing out the last word in surprised disgust before he lifted his hand from the console to present it to them. "Ah…look."

"What is it?" Amy wondered.

"Sneeze!" he replied. "Alien bogeys!"

"Ew," Olivia sneered.

The Doctor headed toward the door again, wiping his hand on Amy's coat as he passed her before the three followed him through another door where they heard monitors beeping around them. The Doctor used his Sonic on the room as they slowly stepped into it staring at the bodies on tables tiered in three levels around them.

"McGrath!" Avery reported as he stopped next to one of the tables. "He's one of my men."

"He's still breathing," Amy assured him.

"My entire crew is here," Avery realized, looking around. "Toby!"

"Rory!" Amy called as she hurried toward Rory on a table.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor called, grabbing Olivia's hand and dragging her toward the blue box. He hugged it then turned to lean back on it as Olivia couldn't help but giggle at his relief.

"We have to get him out of here," Avery insisted, making to remove the thing around the boy's neck.

"Wait!" Olivia called, pulling out her Sonic and aiming it at Toby to scan him then looked to the results. "Looks like his fever's gone."

The Doctor stepped toward Rory and Amy to scan him with his Sonic.

"He looks so well," Amy observed.

"She's keeping him alive," the Doctor explained, looking to his results as Olivia hurried to Amy's side. "His brain is synaptic, but all its cellular activity is suspended."

"Doctor, look," Olivia urged, lifting Rory's hand to show a thin glass case under it. "The black spot is a tissue sample. Why would she take samples of people she's about to kill?"

"Help me get him up?" Amy asked them both.

The Doctor moved to take the thing around Rory's neck off, but they stopped when the monitor started beeping faster and they heard the Siren's Song.

"She's coming," the Doctor whispered.

Olivia ran around the table to grab the Doctor's hand and pull him behind one of the tarps in the room, Amy and Avery quickly following. They watched as the Siren appeared and stepped toward Rory who seemed to seize as he looked to her but she placed a hand on his chest, still singing, and he stilled.

"Anesthetic," the Doctor whispered in realization as they watched her glide toward Toby's body. "The music, the song. So she anesthetizes people then puts their body in stasis."

The Siren raised a hand over Toby, still singing, causing Avery step out from behind the tarp, drawing his gun.

"Avery! No!" Olivia shouted, but he ignored her and shot at the Siren who turned to shriek at him as she turned red and marched toward him.

The Doctor and Olivia ran to one side, as Amy remained where she was, watching in fright. Olivia suddenly sneezed, drawing the Siren's attention, and she remained red as she lifted her hands, fire bursting between them.

"Fire," the Doctor blurted as the Siren came toward them.

"Doctor…" Olivia called, warily as she slowly backed away, eyeing the Siren.

"That's new. What does fire do?"

"Burns."

"Yes."

"Destroys."

"What else?"

"_Burns_!"

"Sterilize!" the Doctor realized when the Siren was nearly upon them, pulling out a handkerchief and smothering Olivia's nose with it. "You sneezed! You've got germs!"

Olivia gave a muffled shout before he pinched her nose and tossed the handkerchief to the ground where the Siren shot at it with the fire in her hands, setting it aflame. Amy ran back to Rory, trying to unhook him from the machine, catching the Siren's attention.

"Amy, stop," the Doctor called as the Siren marched toward her, still glowing red. "Don't interfere. Don't touch him."

"Anesthetic, tissue samples, screens, sterile working conditions—what does it mean?!" Olivia growled, raising her hands to her head and tousling her damp hair in frustration.

"Ignore all my previous theories!" the Doctor ordered everyone, pacing in front of Olivia.

"Yeah? Well we stopped paying attention a while back!" Amy snapped, still trying to unhook Rory from the machine, the Siren still approaching her.

"Oh, my god! Doctor!" Olivia gasped in realization just as he stopped pacing.

"Right, Liv! She's not a killer at all, she's a doctor!" he explained, making Amy freeze and step back from Rory to look to them with wide eyes, and the Siren fazed back to green. "This is an automated sick bay. It's teleporting everyone onboard. The crew are dead, and so the sick bay has nothing to do. It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her. A virtual doctor, able to sterilize a whole room."

"Able to burn your _face_ off," Amy added.

"She's just an interface, seeped through the join between the planes, broadcast in our world," the Doctor explained. "Protein circuitry means she can change her form and become a human doctor for humans. Ooh! Sister, you are _good_!"

Amy moved to take the collar off Rory, but the Siren shrieked at her, quickly phasing from red then back to green.

"She won't let us take them," Avery stated, stepping toward Toby's side.

"She's keeping them alive," Olivia explained. "But I don't think she knows how to heal them."

"I'm his wife, for God's sake," Amy ground out. "Why can't I touch him?"

"Amy, tell her," Olivia urged, stepping next to her and lifting her hand to show the Siren her ring. "She's virtual but she's smart. That's gotta be somewhere in her program if she can change into a human."

"Look, he's very ill, ok?" Amy told the Siren, choking up. "I just want to look after him. Why won't you let me near my husband?!"

A tear ran down Amy's cheek before the Siren lifted her hand and a ring of light formed around it, making Amy frown.

"Consent form," the Doctor explained to Amy. "Sign it. Put your hand in the light. Rory's sick. You have to take full responsibility."

Amy hesitantly placed her hand in the ring of light before the Siren disappeared, and they worked to unhook him from the machine. When the Doctor used the Sonic, Rory shouted loudly in pain as the alarm on his machine went off and he looked as if he were choking.

"He can't breathe! Turn it back on!" Olivia urged and when Amy obeyed Rory rested back on the table.

"What do we do?" Amy asked. "I can't just leave him here."

"He'll die if we try to take him out," Olivia murmured as Amy leaned over Rory.

"Rory, wake up," Amy whispered, and he opened his eyes with a slight groan.

"Where am I?" he asked her.

"You're in a hospital," the Doctor explained. "If you leave, you might die."

"But if you don't, you'll have to stay forever," Amy murmured.

"Y-You're saying that, if I don't get up now…" Rory trailed off with a frown.

"You can never leave," Amy finished for him.

"The Siren will take care of you," Olivia assured him.

"And if I come with you?" Rory wondered.

"Drowning, on the point of death," the Doctor replied.

"I'm a nurse," Rory said, looking to Amy. "I can teach you how to save me."

"Whoa, hold on," Amy blurted.

"I was drowning," Rory recalled. "You just have to resuscitate me."

"Just?" Amy echoed in a scoff, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR…'The Kiss of Life'."

"Rory, his isn't a film, ok? What if I do it wrong?"

"You won't."

"Ok, what if you don't come back to life? What if—?"

"I trust you."

"What about him?" Amy asked Rory, nodding at the Doctor who started backing away slowly, taking Olivia's hand to pull her with him. "I mean why do _I_ have to be the one? Why do _I_ have to save you?"

"Because I know you'll never give up."

Olivia sniffled as the Doctor pulled her toward Avery who still stood next to Toby.

"We have to send this ship back into space," the Doctor told him. "I mean, imagine if the Siren got ashore. She would try to process every injured human."

"What about Toby?" Avery questioned.

The Doctor only shook his head in apology.

"He has Typhoid Fever," Olivia murmured. "If he goes back…it's only a matter of time."

"What if I stay with him, here?" Avery asked. "The Siren will look after him and…I can't go back to England. What home does he have now, if not with me?"

"Do you think you can sail this thing?" the Doctor wondered.

"Just point me to the atom accelerator," Avery smirked, making the Doctor scoff and Olivia frowned between them but said nothing. The Doctor patted his shoulder and held his hand toward Olivia, who took it as she smiled and nodded goodbye to Avery as she was led back to Amy and Rory.

"I know you can do this," Rory assured Amy then added, "Of course if you muck it up, I am gonna be really cross…and dead."

Amy couldn't help but chuckle before murmuring, "I'll see you in a minute."

The three glanced at each other before nodding and the Doctor unstrapped him from the table, making him shout in pain as he gagged, unable to breathe. Amy and the Doctor lifted him from the table as Olivia ran to the TARDIS and opened the door, letting the three pass and Amy laid Rory down on the floor near the door as Olivia shut it behind them. She and the Doctor watched Amy give Rory CPR, pumping his chest then breathing into his mouth.

"Come on, Rory," the Doctor urged. "Not here, not this way. Not _today_!"

Amy tried once more before sobbing, "He trusted me. He trusted me to save him."

"You still can, Amy," Olivia assured her. "You can still do this. He believes in you! Come on!"

Encouraged, Amy tried again before begging him to wake up then finally giving way to sobs.

"Rory, don't do this to her," Olivia murmured, gripping the Doctor's sleeve tightly.

After a moment, Rory coughed and inhaled deeply before coughing again and when he recovered he hugged her tightly. Olivia wiped her tears away with a grin as the Doctor stood next to her and she threw her arms around him in happiness.

_Later..._

"I thought I was an excellent pirate," Amy smiled as she and Rory went up the stairs, heading for their room.

"I thought you were an excellent _nurse_," Rory retorted.

"Easy, tiger," Amy smirked before they stopped at the top step and turning toward the Doctor and Olivia as they stood at the console. "Good night, you two."

"Night, guys," Olivia grinned, sailing up next to the Doctor.

"Good night, Amelia," he smiled before looking to the screen above the console.

"You only call me Amelia when you're worried about me."

"I always worry about you," he replied.

"Mutual," she agreed, softly.

"Go to bed, Pond," he ordered, firmly and they turned back to head to their room.

Olivia tapped his shoulder with hers as they left, but he didn't look at her.

"Yes, Liv?"

"You worry about me?" she wondered, making him finally look down at her.

"Of course I do, darling," he smiled warmly, leaning toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking to Amy's scan on the screen again. "But there's something wrong with Amelia. I _have_ to find out what it is."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	9. House

**A/N:** new chappie! my fave episode! yay! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 9: House**_

"And then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the _real_ one," the Doctor explained one his adventures. "Fortunately, I was able to reattach the head."

"Do you believe _any_ of this stuff?" Rory asked Amy as she came down the stairs.

"I was there," she blurted as she passed Olivia who was reclining on the console.

"At least _one_ of us was," Olivia complained. "He left _me_ sleeping one off in here!"

"It's your own fault, you had far too many Hyper Vodkas the night before," the Doctor scolded, looking to the console when lights flashed above them. "Oh! It's the warning lights! I'm getting rid of those! They never stop!"

"Just like you sometimes…in many things," Olivia smirked as he stepped up next to her to examine the console. "Like last night when we—"

"Liv!" he squeaked, glancing to Amy and Rory as they spoke on the other side of the console and whispered, "Not while they're in the room. Why must you bring it up _now_, when we're _not_ alone?"

"Oh, it's up?"

"Olivia _Felton_! You—!"

He was cut off when there was a knock at the door. The four spun toward the door to stare at it with wide eyes.

"What was that?" Amy wondered.

"The door," the Doctor replied, cautiously heading down the stairs. "It knocked."

"Right," Rory began as he and Amy stopped at the railing around the console. "We _are_ in deep space?"

"Very, _very_ deep," Olivia confirmed as the Doctor still approached the door. The knock of 'Shave and a Haircut' came from it again as she frowned, "Somebody's knocking…in deep space."

The Doctor slowly opened the door and stared outside for a moment then smirked, "Oh, come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty."

"That's my cue," Olivia grinned, fluffing her hair before hurrying down the stairs, but when she reached the door her grin instantly fell as she blurted, "Oh."

The Doctor reached for the floating white box in front of them but it whizzed past them then flew around the room. The couple stepped back in to stare at it just as it came charging back toward them and slammed into the Doctor's chest and when he fell, Olivia knelt to help him.

"A box?" Rory frowned in wonder as it fell to the floor and the Doctor picked it up.

"Doctor, what is it?" Amy wondered as he stood, staring at the box in his hands.

"I've got mail!" he grinned, making them all frown at in wonder before he ran up the stairs toward the console, Olivia right behind him as he still examined the box as he excitedly explained, "Time Lord emergency messaging system. In an emergency we wrap up our thoughts in Psychic containers and send them through time and space. Anyway, there's a living Time Lord still out there, _and_ it's one of the good ones!"

"But…you said there weren't any Time Lords left," Olivia recalled, watching him type at the console.

"There aren't," he confirmed, making her frown. "No Time Lords left anywhere in the universe, but the universe isn't where we're going!" He tossed the box up and Amy quickly caught it to stare at the image on one side. "See that snake? The mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke! He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. He didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or _her_self a couple of times. Ooh! She was a bad girl!"

"Oh, that makes _me_ feel a lot better!" Olivia shot back as he ran around the console. "Why don't we just invite River over and make a day of it with you, huh?! What is it with you and the female gender?!"

The TARDIS console suddenly sparked as the ship jostled, violently.

"What is happening?!" Rory shouted over the whirring of the engines.

"We're leaving the universe!" the Doctor called back.

"How can you leave the universe?!" Amy questioned, clinging to the console.

"With enormous difficulty!" the Doctor replied, flying the ship. "Right now I'm burning up TARDIS rooms to give us some welly! Goodbye, swimming pool! Goodbye, scullery! Sayonara, squash court 7!"

Amy and Olivia screamed when the console sparked again and they were all thrown around the TARDIS until it finally came to a stop and they regained their footing.

"Doctor, where are we?" Olivia questioned and he looked back at her with a grin.

"Outside the universe," he breathed. "Where we've never, ever been."

The lights in the TARDIS suddenly and slowly dimmed.

"Is that meant to be happening?" Rory wondered as the Doctor and Olivia worked at the console, frantically.

"The power's draining," Olivia explained, not looking away from the console. "Everything's draining."

"But it _can't_ that's…that's impossible," the Doctor breathed.

"What is that?" Rory asked him.

"It's as if the matrix…the soul of the TARDIS, has just vanished."

"But…where would it go?" Olivia wondered, breathlessly.

"Well…best have a look outside then and find the Corsair," the Doctor supposed, taking Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the door, though he wasn't as enthusiastic as before. He opened the door and cautiously stepped out, still holding Olivia's hand as Amy and Rory followed and they all frowned in wonder at their junkyard surroundings.

"What kind of trouble was your friend in?" Amy wondered.

"He was in a bind," the Doctor replied as he continued walking. "A bit of a pickle, sort of…distressed."

"You _can_ say you don't know, my love," Olivia smiled up at him, but her smile fell as he glanced around at the junk, his hand still gripping hers tightly, and she could feel his unease, knowing he was worrying about whatever was wrong with the TARDIS.

"What is this place, the scrap yard at the end of the universe?" Rory wondered.

"Not end of, outside of," the Doctor corrected.

"How can we be outside the universe?" Rory frowned. "The universe is everything."

"Imagine a huge soap bubble with a tiny bubble on the outside," Olivia explained as the Doctor pulled her back toward the TARDIS, Rory following.

"Ok," he nodded in understanding.

"But it's nothing like that," the Doctor retorted, making Olivia sigh as Rory rolled his eyes when they reached the TARDIS. "Completely drained! Look at her."

"Wait, so we're in a tiny bubble universe sticking to the side of the bigger bubble universe?" Amy wondered if she had it right, holding an old soup spoon.

"Yeah," Olivia nodded.

"No!" the Doctor argued, then added, "But if it helps…yes."

"This place is filled with rift energy," Olivia thought aloud then looked to the Doctor. "She might refuel just by sitting here."

"Good thinking, Liv," he nodded before lifting her hand and kissing it then finally let it go to lean down and pick up a rock. "Now, this place, what do we think, eh?" He tossed the rock up and watched it fall. "Gravity's almost Earth-normal. Air's breathable. But it smells, like…"

"Armpits," Amy finished when he trailed off, tossing the spoon away.

"Armpits," the Doctor agreed, stepping into an old bathtub as Olivia and Rory continued to examine the things around them.

"What about all this stuff?" Rory wondered, examining a light. "Where did this come from?"

"There's a rift running through here," Olivia explained. "Stuff gets sucked through it. There's one in Cardiff like that."

"Not a bubble!" the Doctor explained, climbing out of the tub. "A plughole. The universe is a plughole, and we've just fallen down it."

"Thief! Thief! You're my thief!"

They all turned to the sound of the unfamiliar voice to see a woman with unruly dark hair in Victorian style dress pointing at the Doctor as two other people hobbled after her.

"She's dangerous! Guard yourself!" the woman warned as the younger woman ran up to the Doctor and grabbed his shoulders.

"Look at you! Goodbye! No, not goodbye. What's the other one?" she before planting her lips to the Doctor's.

"The hell?!" Olivia snapped, trying to wedge her arms between them, the Doctor trying to push the strange woman away as the man that had come after her tried to pull her away as well. They all finally managed to pull her away from him and she laughed as the couple that had come after her pulled her behind them and the Doctor straightened himself out.

"Welcome, strangers, lovely," the man greeted. "Sorry about the mad person."

"Why am I a thief?" the Doctor questioned the woman. "What have I stolen?"

"Me," the woman chirped. "You're going to steal me. You _have_ stolen me. You _are_ stealing me. Oh, tenses are difficult, aren't they?"

Olivia and the Doctor frowned at each other in wonder before Olivia looked to Amy and Rory in confusion but no one said a word.

"Oh, oh, we are sorry, my dove," the older woman panted from running as the other woman examined Amy's hair. "She's off her head. They call me Auntie."

"And I'm Uncle," the man introduced as they shook the Doctor's hand. "I'm everybody's uncle. Just keep back from this one. She bites!"

"Do I? Excellent!" the other woman replied before grabbing the Doctor and biting his neck, making Olivia and Uncle shove her away as she laughed again.

"Ow! Ow!" the Doctor shouted, lifting a hand to rub it, but Olivia moved his hand to examine it and make sure it wasn't bleeding.

"Biting is excellent! It's like kissing, only there's a winner," the woman grinned.

"Sorry, she's doolally," Uncle muttered.

"No, I'm not doolally," she argued. "I'm…I'm… It's on the tip of my tongue. I've just had a new idea about kissing."

"No, you haven't!" Olivia snapped as she lunged for him, sending the Doctor behind Amy and Rory to hide as Olivia stepped in front of the couple, Auntie and Uncle keeping the woman at bay.

"Idris, no!" Auntie pleaded.

"Oh, but now you're angry," Idris said, then added, "No, you're not. You _will_ be angry. The little boxes will make you angry."

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked, stepping out from behind Amy and Rory but remaining behind Olivia to stare at Idris over her shoulder. "The little what? Boxes?"

Idris suddenly burst into laughter and reached up to grab the Doctor's chin, grinning, "Your chin is hilarious!"

She looked to Rory as she let the Doctor's chin go and explained, "It means the smell of dust after rain."

"What does?" Rory frowned.

"Petrichor."

"But I didn't ask."

"Not yet. But you will." Idris looked to Olivia making her frown in warily at her before she told her, "He'll find out. He always finds out."

"Find out about what?" Olivia asked.

"The secret," Idris replied. "The deep, dark secret."

"Olivia, what is she talking about?" the Doctor murmured near her ear.

"I have no idea," she replied, honestly, still staring at Idris in wonder.

"No, no, Idris, you should have a rest," Auntie insisted.

"Rest, yes, yes, good idea," Idris agreed. "I'll just see if there's an off switch."

Her legs instantly came out from under her, making everyone grab a limb on her to set her down on a makeshift bed in the nearby pile of junk.

"Is that it?" Uncle wondered. "She's dead now. So sad."

"She's still breathing," Rory reported, examining her as Olivia frowned at the disappointed look on Uncle's face before he turned to someone else behind them.

"Nephew, take Idris somewhere she cannot bite people," he requested as Olivia turned only to jump back and smack the Doctor's arm to get his attention.

"Ah! What?" the Doctor blurted before turning and grinning, "Oh, hello!"

Amy and Rory turned, making Amy gasp when they stared at the bald headed, tentacle mouthed alien with a ball in his hand.

"Doctor, what is that?" Amy questioned.

"Oh, no, it's alright," the Doctor assured them as Olivia frowned at its glowing green eyes. "It's an Ood. Oods are good. Love an Ood. Hello, Ood! Can't you talk? Oh, I see, it's damaged. May I?"

Olivia stepped up next to the Doctor to look over his shoulder as the Ood nodded and he took the ball from its hand to pull it apart.

"It might just be on the wrong frequency," the Doctor guessed as he worked on it and Olivia watched in awe.

"Nephew was broken when he came here," Auntie explained. "Well, he was half dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

The Doctor clicked the ball together after fixing it and it glowed green, launching indistinct voices into the air. Olivia shouted in pain, placing a hand on her head as it instantly began to throb as the Doctor only listened to the voices, one calling for the High Council of Time Lords. Amy and Rory rushed toward Olivia as she fell to her knees, holding her head and a moment later the Ood clicked the ball and it shut off, making the voices disappear.

"What was that?" Rory asked the Doctor as Amy held Olivia's shoulders, Olivia panting in pain as she recovered. "Was that him?"

"No, no," the Doctor replied. "It's picking up something else. But that's…it's not possible. Liv! You alright?!"

"Fine," she groaned as he knelt in front of her and she was about to explain but he turned his attention to Auntie and Uncle, and she didn't blame him…this time.

"Who else is here?" he questioned them. "Tell me, show me. Show me!"

"Just what you see," Auntie replied as Amy held Olivia back to her feet. "Just the four of us. And the House. Nephew! Will you take Idris somewhere safe, where she can't hurt nobody."

"The House, what's the House?" the Doctor asked as Nephew picked Idris up and took her away.

"The House is all around you, my sweets," Auntie replied as Uncle jumped up and down. "You are standing on him. This is the House. This world. Would you like to meet him?"

"_Meet_ him?" Rory frowned in wonder.

"Doctor—"

"I'd love to," the Doctor cut into Olivia's call and Auntie and Uncle turned to lead the way into the makeshift house.

"Doctor," Olivia called, coming up next to him with a frown of pain over her brow and he turned to her with a frown of his own.

"The Rift?" he guessed, and she nodded.

"Too much at one time after too long," she explained of her sudden headache. "That was a telepathic assault."

"Yes, I know," he nodded, taking her face in his hands to look into her eyes, examining her. "You're feeling better now? You want to wait in the TARDIS?"

"No, I'll be fine," she replied with a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked them. "What were those voices?"

"Time Lords," the Doctor replied, his hands falling from Olivia's face as she swallowed when he turned to Amy and Rory. "It's not just the Corsair. Somewhere close by there are lots and lots of…Time Lords."

He turned and took Olivia's hand to head after Auntie and Uncle, Amy and Rory following after them until they were in a room made of junk, a glowing green vent on the far side of it.

"Come, come, come," Uncle urged, leading the Doctor toward the vent as he and Auntie stepped onto it. "You can see House and he can look at you…"

"I see," the Doctor hummed, kneeling next to the vent, still holding Olivia's hand as he stared down into it. "This asteroid is sentient."

"We walk on its back, breathe its air, eat its food," Auntie explained.

"Smell its armpits," Amy added.

"And do my will."

The Doctor and Olivia jumped back when a deep, unfamiliar voice came from Auntie and Uncle as they spoke together.

"You are most welcome, travelers," the voice said.

"Is that the asteroid talking through them?" Olivia frowned in wonder.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded before stepping away from Auntie and Uncle. "So you're like a…sea urchin. Hard outer surface…that's the planet we're walking on. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you."

"That is correct, Time Lord," House replied.

"Ah, so you've met Time Lords before."

"Many travelers have come through the rift. Like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break."

"What does that even mean?" Olivia whispered.

"So there are Time Lords here, then," the Doctor assumed.

"Not anymore, but there have been many TARDISes on my back in days gone by."

"Ah, well, there won't be any more after us. Last Time Lord. Last TARDIS."

"A pity. Your people were so kind. Be here in safety, Doctor. Rest, feed if you will."

Olivia groaned at the ebbing pain in her head, making the Doctor pull his hand from hers to wrap it around her shoulders and hold her up as they walked toward Amy and Rory.

"We're not _actually_ gonna stay here, are we?" Rory wondered.

"Well, it seems like a friendly planet…literally," the Doctor smiled before asking, "Mind if we poke around a bit?"

"You can look all you want. Go! Look." Auntie grinned, stepping toward Amy and reaching for her face. "House loves you."

Olivia swallowed when she noticed one of Auntie's hands looked a lot bigger and far more manly than the other as she touched Amy's face before she tucked it back into her sleeve.

"Come on, then, gang, we're just going to…uh…see the sights."

The Doctor led the three through the halls, but stopped when a sound caught his ear, making him stop and shush the others to listen.

"So, as soon as the TARDIS is refueled, we go, yeah?" Rory hoped.

"No," the Doctor retorted. "There are Time Lords here. I heard them. _We_ heard them. Me and Liv. They need me."

"You told me about your people and you told me what you did," Amy recalled.

"Yes, yes, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good ones, and I can save them."

"And then tell them you destroyed all the others?"

"I can explain. Tell them why I had to."

"You wanna be forgiven."

"Don't we all?"

"What do you need from me?" Amy asked, making the Doctor feel at his jacket.

"My screwdriver," he said. "I left it in the TARDIS. It's in my jacket."

"You're _wearing_ your jacket," Rory pointed out.

"My other jacket," the Doctor quickly replied.

"You have _two_ of those?" Rory wondered if he'd heard right.

"Ok, I'll get it," Amy cut in. "But, Doctor, listen to me. Don't get emotional, because that's when you make mistakes."

"Yes, Boss," he smirked, giving her a salute.

"Olivia, watch him, and I'll call you from the TARDIS," Amy called as she walked away and Olivia nodded. "Rory, look after them."

"Rory, look after her," Olivia ordered, nodding toward Amy's exit and he nodded in return before following Amy out and Olivia turned to the Doctor to take his arm, saying, "Quick question."

"Yes, Liv?" he answered, heading down the hall again.

"I can feel your screwdriver pressing against my arm."

"Was that a question?"

"No, my question is, why did you send them back to the TARDIS?"

"Same reason I would've sent you, except I need you for this bit."

Olivia frowned up at him before her phone rang in her pocket and she pulled it out to answer it.

"_Hey, we're here_," Amy reported and Olivia placed the phone on speaker so that the Doctor could hear her. "_The screwdriver's in his jacket, yeah?_"

"Yeah, it's around somewhere," the Doctor replied, pulling the Sonic out and holding it up. "Have a good look." He pressed the button to hang up the phone before hitting the button on the Sonic, making Olivia frown at him. "Locked and sealed in tight. Right, now, Liv, give me your left hand."

"What are we doing?" she wondered, letting him pull her left hand into _his_ left hand as he stepped behind her.

"We're finding those Time Lords," he explained, slipping his right arm around her waist and pulling her close, entwining the fingers of their left hands so that their wedding bands were touching. "Our Psychic link should help us out. Just follow my lead."

"See, _this_ is what I'm talking about," Olivia smiled, making him frown as he shuffled them forward and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Random, romantic, dancing. You've been reading my notes, haven't you?"

"Maybe I have," he murmured with a smirk in her ear as they reached an open room and he stopped them, his smirk falling. "They're close, I can feel it. Concentrate."

She gave a sigh before closing her eyes and doing as he told her, she heard indistinct voices, but recognized them from what she'd heard from Nephew Ood's translator, and they were softer now. The Doctor turned them with his feet before he released her but kept a hold on her hand as he stepped toward a patchwork curtain and moved it away to reveal a small inner room of sorts.

"Well, they can't all be in here," he reasoned.

"Theta," Olivia breathed, making him frown at her but as she stepped closer, she only stared at the pair of small doors they were facing. The Doctor placed his hand on them before opening the doors to reveal shelves full of boxes like the one they'd found. Olivia placed a hand on her head as the voices intensified before fading away, then jumped when Uncle and Auntie suddenly strolled up next to her.

"Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection," the Doctor muttered in anger. "Nice job, brilliant job. I really thought I had some friends here. But this is what the Ood translator picked up, cries for help from the long dead." He turned away from the boxes to glare at the couple as Olivia only remained by his side. "How many Time Lords have you lured here, the way you lured me? And what happened to them all?"

"House—House is kind and he is wise," Auntie tried.

"House repairs you when you break! Yes, I know! But how does he mend you?" the Doctor snapped, marching toward them as he pulled the Sonic from his jacket and scanned Uncle. "You've got the eyes of a twenty year old."

"Thank you," Uncle replied.

"No, no, I mean it literally. Your eyes are thirty years younger than the rest of you." The Doctor pulled Uncle's hat off which had covered his right, alien ear. "Your ears don't match, your right arm is two inches longer than your left. And how's your dancing?! Because you've got two left feet."

"Patchwork people," Olivia shuddered.

"You've been repaired and patched up so often, I doubt there's anything left of what used to be you," the Doctor ground out before grabbing Auntie's oversized arm. "I had an umbrella like you, once."

"Oh, now, it's been a great arm for me, this," Auntie reported, showing off a snake tattoo and making both the Doctor and Olivia stare at it with wide eyes before he released her. "He was a strapping big bloke, wasn't he, Uncle? Yeah. I got the arm and Uncle got the spine and the kidneys."

"You gave me hope and then you took it away," the Doctor reported in a low tone, making Olivia grip his arm in warning to him. "That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to me."

"Get out before it's too late," Olivia warned them, but when they didn't move, she shouted, "_Run!_"

"Poor old Time Lord," Uncle said, backing away as Auntie simply ran away. "Too late. House is too clever."

Olivia pulled her phone out when it rang as Uncle retreated and answered it.

"Amy?"

"_Give him the phone_."

"You're in trouble," Olivia told the Doctor, hearing her tone before placing the phone on speaker again. "Go ahead."

"_No Sonic Screwdriver. Also, the doors seem to have locked behind us. Rory thinks there's a perfectly innocent explanation, but __I__ think you lied to us_."

"Time Lord stuff. Needed you out of the way," the Doctor replied.

"_What, we're not good enough for your smart, new friends?_"

"Amelia, don't be like that," Olivia chided.

"_Oh, don't scold me. You're in on it, too_."

"Just 'cause I'm married to him doesn't mean I know what's going through his head. I _never_ know what's going through his head."

"'The boxes will make you angry.' How could she know?" the Doctor murmured, making her frown at him in wonder.

"_Doctor, what are you talking about?_"

"Stay put. Stay exactly where you are!" he ordered into the phone before grabbing Olivia's hand and dragging her through the halls.

"_Don't have much—!_"

Amy was cut off when Olivia hung up the phone.

"Where are we going?!" she questioned, stumbling behind the Doctor.

"To find the biting woman!"

"Oh, _wonderful_! You want to get a _disease_, don't you?!"

* * *

**A/N:** i think Olivia handled that pretty well, don't you? she may surprise everyone with the way she handles the rest of this. reviews?


	10. TARDIS

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 10: TARDIS**_

"How did you know about the boxes?!" the Doctor demanded, marching into the room where Idris was being held in a cage, dragging Olivia behind him. "You said they'd make me angry. How did you know?"

"Ah, it's my thief," Idris realized in a soft voice as she sat in the cage, her eyes closed before she opened them to look at them.

"Who are you?" he demanded, making Idris chuckle.

"It's about time," she smiled.

"I don't understand," the Doctor admitted asking her again, "Who are you?"

"Do you really not know me just because they put me in here?" she questioned.

"They said you were dangerous," the Doctor recalled.

"Not the cage, stupid," Idris retorted, shifting closer to a gap and pressing her fingers to her temples as she stared at him. "In _here_. They put me in here. I'm the…" She stopped as if trying to think of the word, making the Doctor and Olivia both frown at her. "Oh! What do you call me? We travel. I go…"

She moved her mouth and she made a familiar sound, making Olivia's eyes widen at her in absolute disbelief.

"The TARDIS," she breathed through a grin.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me," she told them, standing and gripping the hexagon bars. "I'm the TARDIS."

"No, you're not!" the Doctor argued. "You're a bitey madlady. The TARDIS is up-and-downy stuff in a big, blue box."

"Yes, that's me," Idris confirmed, leaning on the bars. "A Type 40 TARDIS. I _was_ already a museum piece when you were young. And the first time you touched my console, you said—"

"I said you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever known," the Doctor finished as Olivia glanced between the two, now feeling like a third wheel.

"And then you stole me. And _I_ stole _you_."

"I _borrowed_ you."

"Borrowing implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give _you_ back?"

"You're the TARDIS?"

"Yes."

"_My_ TARDIS?!"

"_My_ Doctor. Oh! We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock."

Idris stepped back from the door gracefully as the Doctor stared at her for a moment before pulling out his Sonic, but he didn't aim it at the door like she said he would. He looked to Olivia who was staring at Idris before she looked back at him in wonder.

"What?" she questioned.

"You're not angry," he realized, making her frown at him.

"Why would I be angry?"

"Well…she's a girl."

"She's the TARDIS."

"But…she's a girl."

"Just open the door!"

The Doctor jumped at Olivia's command and used the Sonic on the door which swung open and Idris stepped out, stopping in front of the Doctor and studying him as he studied her. She looked to Olivia as she stepped up to them, glancing between them before meeting Idris' gaze.

"Are _all_ people like this?" she asked Olivia.

"Like what?" Olivia wondered with a frown.

"So much _bigger_ on the inside," Idris explained before looking to the Doctor again. "I'm…Oh, what _is_ that word?! It's so big! So complicated. It's so sad."

"Why pull the soul from a TARDIS and stick it in a human head?" Olivia wondered, looking to Idris. "Why does it want you?"

"Oh, it doesn't want _me_," Idris replied before sniffing the Doctor.

"How do you know?" he asked before sniffing his jacket as she had.

"House eats TARDISes," she replied, fluffing Olivia's hair around her shoulders before lifting her right wrist to look at the rubber band on it.

"House what?!" he chirped with a frown, watching them. "What do you mean?!"

"I don't know. Something I heard _you_ say," Idris replied, pulling the rubber band from Olivia's wrist and stepping behind her as Olivia's eyes shifted in confusion.

"When?" the Doctor questioned.

"In the future," Idris replied, pulling Olivia's hair into a tight ponytail.

"House eats TARDISes?" the Doctor frowned.

"Oh, there you go," Idris smiled, pressing her thumb to his mouth before looking back at Olivia, asking, "What are fish fingers?"

"When do I say that?" he wondered.

"Any second."

"Of course! House feeds on rift energy and TARDISes are bursting with it. And not _raw_, lovely and cooked. Processed food. Mm, fish fingers."

"Do fish have fingers?"

"But eating a TARDIS would destroy you," Olivia knew without being told.

"Yes, unless—un_less_…" the Doctor trailed off.

"Unless you deleted the TARDIS matrix first," Idris finished.

"Whoa, so House _deleted_ you?" Olivia frowned in wonder as Idris looked to her.

"But House can't just delete the TARDIS consciousness. That would blow a hole in the universe. So he pulls out that matrix, sticks it into a living receptacle, and then feeds off the remaining Artron energy." Idris gasped before looking to the Doctor and continuing, "You were about to say all that. I don't suppose you have to now."

"Theta, Amy and Rory are in there," Olivia reminded him as she pulled out her phone and dialed Amy's number.

"They'll be eaten," the Doctor realized, bolting down the hall as he took Olivia shot after him.

"Amy! Rory! Get out of there!" Olivia shouted into the phone.

"_Something's wrong!_" Amy reported.

"House is after the TARDIS! Both of you get out!"

"_We can't! He locked the door!_"

"Doctor! Unlock the door!" Olivia shouted at him as they ran toward the TARDIS.

"I _have_ unlocked it!" he shot back.

"He says he's unlocked it," Olivia reported into the phone.

"_He stupid well hasn't!_" Amy shot back. "_Olivia, I don't like this!_"

"You and me both," Olivia replied when they reached the TARDIS. "We're trying to get you out. Hang on!"

The Doctor tried his Sonic on the door, and she instantly pulled out her Sonic to try it on the door as well as he snapped his fingers.

"Open!" he shouted. "_Open this door_!"

"Amy! Rory!" Olivia called, pounding on the door, but instead of opening, the TARDIS engines sounded, making her and the Doctor stare wide eyes at it as it disappeared and she shuddered, "Theta?"

"Mobile. Try the mobile," he ordered, and she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Amy?" she called but the line was dead and when she looked to the Doctor, she shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "I really don't know what to do." He smiled, nervously, saying, "That's a new feeling."

"Doctor!" Olivia snapped, pulling him back to his senses before he turned and grabbed her hand to run back into the building where Idris sat in front of her cage.

"It's gone," he reported to her as she sat next to the cage.

"Eaten?" Idris asked.

"No, it left," he replied, letting go of Olivia's hand to pace as Auntie and Uncle hobbled in. "Not eaten. Hijacked. But _why_?"

"It's time for us both to go, Uncky, together," Auntie announced as Olivia swallowed, sighing as she sat next to Idris who watched her closely.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Go? What do you mean, go?! Where are you going?" the Doctor demanded, marching toward them as they wrapped blankets around themselves.

"Well, we're dying, my love," Auntie replied casually as they sat. "It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off."

"I'm against it," Uncle shrugged.

"It's your fault, isn't it, sweets?" Auntie said. "'Cause you told House that it was the last TARDIS. House can't feed on them if there's none more coming, can he?"

"So now he's off to your universe, to find more TARDISes," Uncle explained.

"Doctor…" Olivia called, leaning forward on her knees as Idris took her ponytail gently in one hand, still watching her.

"It won't," the Doctor retorted to Uncle, ignoring Olivia's call.

"Oh, it'll think of something," Auntie replied then fell over, dead. The Doctor ran toward her to examine her as Uncle stood.

"Actually, I feel fine," he announced before falling over as well, dead.

"Ah! Not dead!" the Doctor snapped, stumbling over his body.

"Doctor…" Olivia called again, her tone strained.

"You can't just _die_!" the Doctor shouted at the bodies.

"Doctor!" Olivia snapped, making him whirl around in time to see her vomit.

"Liv!" He ran toward her, avoiding the sick as he sat on the other side of her, Idris still holding her ponytail back as he pulled out a handkerchief as Olivia finished, panting for breath.

"It's the rift," she explained in a raw voice as he placed his hand under her chin to lift her face and use his kerchief to wipe her mouth. "It's way too powerful here. It's gonna kill me if we stay too long."

"We need to go to where I landed, Doctor, quickly," Idris explained.

"Why?!" he questioned.

"Because we are there in three minutes," Idris replied as she stood.

"Olivia is sick! Look at her! She's so pale!" he snapped at Idris.

"Gee, thanks for the compliments, dear," Olivia muttered, holding her stomach and silently praying she wouldn't hurl again.

"Oh, yes, I'm trying to take care of you, and you get snarky. Lovely."

"We need to go…" Idris paused before resuming, "…now."

She ran toward the exit but stopped, shouting in pain and grabbing her stomach.

"What's wrong with her?" Olivia frowned and the Doctor stood to head toward Idris as she turned to him.

"Roughly how long do these bodies last?" she wondered as the Doctor scanned her with the Sonic then looked to the results. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

"You're dying," he breathed, making Olivia stare at them with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course I'm dying," she retorted snatching his Sonic away. "I don't belong in a flesh body. I could blow the casing in no time. No. Stop it. Don't get emotional. Hmm, that's what the orangey girl says. You're the Doctor. Focus."

"On what?!" he shouted back, snatching his Sonic from her when she presented it to him. "How?! I've got Liv dying over there, _you_ dying over here, two dead already, and I'm a madman with a box, _without_ a box! I'm stuck down the plughole at the end of the universe in a _stupid_, _old_ _junkyard_! Ooh…"

"Here we go," Olivia murmured, hearing the change in his tone.

"No, I'm not," he smirked.

"Not what?" Idris asked.

"Because it's not a junkyard. Don't you see? It's not a junkyard."

"What is it?" Olivia asked, slowly rising to her feet just as he grabbed her hand.

"It's a _TARDIS_ junkyard!" he grinned, pulling her toward the exit but stopped in front of Idris to ask her, "Sorry, do you have a name?"

"Seven hundred years," Idris retorted. "Finally, he asks."

"What do I call you?" the Doctor smirked.

"I think you call me…Sexy," she smirked, making Olivia slap her palm to her head as the Doctor glanced between the women.

"Only when we're _alone_," he murmured to Idris.

"I'm gonna stick to calling you Idris," Olivia announced before turning toward the exit, still holding the Doctor's hand and dragging him with her as he grabbed Idris' hand to pull her with them. He stepped ahead to lead the way through the junkyard and they stopped on a hill to look over the landscape.

"Valley of half-eaten TARDISes," the Doctor named the wreckage before them. "Are either of you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking all of my sisters are dead, that they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses," Idris replied.

"Ah, sorry, no, I wasn't thinking that," the Doctor admitted.

"No. You were thinking you could build a working TARDIS console out broken remnants of a hundred different models," Idris replied. "And you don't care that it's impossible."

"It's not impossible as long as we're alive," the Doctor argued. "Rory and Amy need us, so, yeah, we're gonna build a TARDIS."

Olivia watched him run off somewhere as she and Idris remained on the hill before she turned to her to ask a question.

"Yes," Idris replied when Olivia opened her mouth, making her frown and close it as Idris looked to her.

"What?"

"Yes, it's the secret you're thinking of."

"Oh…"

Olivia glanced at the Doctor rummaging through a pile of spare parts before stepping closer to Idris.

"No, I can't tell you how or when, but he _will_ find out."

"But you know?"

"Yes."

Olivia swallowed, tears welling in her eyes and her stomach turned, not just from the rift energy around her now, but because of the subject of their conversation.

"Will it…change things between us?" she asked, meeting Idris' gaze and she only offered a smile. "No, of course, you can't tell me."

"Liv!" the Doctor called, drawing her attention to him. "I need your Sonic, love!"

The three worked, Idris easily finding the things they needed and the Doctor telling Olivia what to do until she looked ready to be sick again, then he told her to sit and rest while he worked.

"Bond the tube directly into the tachyon diverter," Idris instructed as the Doctor dragged a huge piece of paneling toward their TARDIS console.

"Yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know! I know what I'm doing!" he shot back as Olivia stepped next to him to help him. "No, Liv, go sit down. Don't strain yourself."

"You're like a nine year old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom and you _never_ read the instructions," Idris retorted.

"I always read the instructions!" he strained under the weight of the panel.

"There's a sign on my front door. You've been walking past it for seven hundred years. What does it say?"

"That's not _instructions_!"

"There's an instruction at the bottom. Even Olivia saw it. What does it say?"

"'Pull to open.'"

"Yes, and what do you do?"

"I push!"

"Every single time. Seven hundred years. Police box doors open _out_ the way."

"I _told_ you!" Olivia grinned to the Doctor. "Didn't I tell you?! I told you _years_ ago!"

"Stay out of this, Liv!" he ordered her, tossing the ropes he was using to drag the panel with aside to march toward Idris. "You know, I think I have earned the right to open _my_ front doors any way I want!"

"_Your_ front doors? Have you any idea how childish that sounds?"

"You are not my mother."

"And _you_ are not my child."

"You know, since we're talking, with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just wanna say, you know, _you_ have never been very reliable."

"And _you_ have?"

"You didn't always take me where I wanted to go."

"No, but I _always_ took you where you _needed_ to go."

"You did," the Doctor realized before ginning. "Look at us, _talking_! Wouldn't it be amazing if we could always talk, even when you're stuck inside the box?"

"You know I'm not constructed that way. I exist across all space and time and _you_ talk and run around and bring home strays!"

"Hey!" Olivia called in offense, before gasping and hurrying toward Idris when she collapsed against the Doctor as he steadied her. "You alright?"

"One of the kidneys has already failed," Idris reported. "It doesn't matter. We need to finish assembling the console."

"Using a console without a proper shell…it's not gonna be safe," the Doctor realized as Olivia scanned Idris with her Sonic and quickly looked to the results.

"Theta, she's got eighteen minutes," she reported.

"The universe we're in will reach absolute zero in three hours," Idris reported. "Safe is relative."

The Doctor exchanged a glance with Olivia before turning to grab the ropes he'd tossed away, saying, "Then we need to get a move on, eh, old girl? Liv, stay with her."

Olivia obeyed and worked alongside Idris who had her do as little as possible since she still looked as pale as a ghost. She sat on an old seat in the pile, watching Idris gather things they needed then glanced to the Doctor as he worked on the construction of the console.

"I'm sure you know what I'm gonna ask you, but I wanna ask anyway," she said as Idris still worked. "Do the Doctor and I…ever…?"

"Yes."

Olivia's eyes widened at Idris who smiled, warmly making Olivia grin back.

"Thank you for telling me."

"You needed the hope."

Olivia remained silent as Idris and the Doctor worked, and she did what she could to help a little longer until she was standing at the nearly completed console where the Doctor had asked for her help.

"You'll need to install the time rotor!" Idris called to the Doctor from a pile she was looking through as he carried something toward the console.

"How is this thing gonna make it through the rift?" Olivia wondered, still working.

"Don't worry, it will," the Doctor assured her as he lowered the glass column he was carrying into the center on the console. "Almost done. Time to do a quick check! Rust diffuser?"

"Check!" Olivia called as he ran around her.

"Retro scope?"

"Check."

"Blue…thingy?"

"Check…dork."

"Oi, _you_ married me."

Olivia couldn't help smiling as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Yes I did."

"Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?" Idris asked the Doctor, examining a coat hanger in her hands.

"_I_ chose _you_," the Doctor corrected, still working. "You were unlocked."

"Of course I was," Idris retorted, turning to step toward the console. "I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And _you_ were the only one mad enough."

"Sounds about right," Olivia nodded with a smirk as she and the Doctor stepped toward her to look at their work.

"Right, perfect," the Doctor grinned. "Look at that. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh, don't say that," Olivia chided, smacking his arm lightly before something popped off the console. "See?!"

"That's fine. That always happens."

"Oh, yes, I often see parts pop off the console in _your_ TARDIS."

"No, hang on, wait!" the Doctor chirped as Idris stepped toward the console and he grabbed thick, long red cords from the pile nearby before running back toward it, handing one to Olivia. They hooked up the cords before taking positions around the console as he began, "Right, ok, let's go. Follow that TARDIS."

He yanked on the coat hanger now hanging on a hook in the console and the red engine in the cylinder glowed red but didn't launch. Olivia looked to Idris as she looked at herself in the mirror set up on the console. She giggled when Idris poked and squished her own face.

"There's rift energy everywhere," the Doctor complained working something on the console. "You can do it. Ok. Diverting all power to thrust. Let's be having ya!"

The console sparked, making the three jump with a start.

"What's wrong with it?" Olivia questioned with a frown.

"It can't hold a charge. It can't even start. There's no…power! I've got nothing."

"You idiot," Olivia smirked, drawing his gaze to her. "You have everything you need right here."

"You've got me," Idris smiled in agreement, kissing a finger and her eyes glowed gold as she reached out and gave energy to the console, making it jostle to life before disappearing from the asteroid's surface.

* * *

**A/N:** no, lovelies, no! it's not the secret you're probably thinking it is. reviews?


	11. Return

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Return**_

"We're locked on!" Olivia shouted over the energy surrounding them and engine's noise as they flew through space on the console.

"They'll have to lower the shields when we're close enough to phase inside!" Idris explained as they all worked on the console.

"Can you get a message to Amy?!" the Doctor asked her. "The telepathic circuits are online!"

"Which one's Amy?!" Idris asked. "The pretty one?!"

"Sure!" Olivia called before being thrown back into the half wall around the console as Idris positioned herself in front of the mirror.

"Liv! Be careful!" the Doctor warned. "If you're thrown off the edge—!"

"I know!" Olivia called back. "I'm dead!"

"Hello, Pretty," Idris began, talking into the mirror and Olivia hurried up next to Idris to speak into the mirror.

"_What the hell is that?_" Rory said from the mirror.

"It's ok!" Olivia explained. "Telepathic messaging. That's Rory, not Amy."

She was tossed back again but gripped the console as the Doctor came up between them to look into the mirror as well.

"You have to go to the old control room," Idris explained to Rory. "I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there, use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields."

"The pretty one?!" the Doctor questioned before being thrashed back again.

"You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading matrix. I'll send you the passkey when you get there. Good luck."

"How're they gonna get the shields down?!" Olivia wondered. "House will be in the control room!"

"I directed him to one of the old control rooms!" Idris explained.

"There _aren't_ any old control rooms!" the Doctor argued. "They were all deleted or remodeled!"

"I archived them for neatness! I've got about thirty now."

"But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?!"

"So far, yeah!"

"You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet!"

"_You_ can't!" Olivia grinned, giving an exaggerated wink to Idris.

"Keep going!" the Doctor called to Idris as they all worked. "You're doing it, you sexy thing!"

"See you _do_ call me that!" Idris observed as he helped her on a panel. "Is it my name?!"

"You _bet_ it's your name!" he replied before the console thrashed again.

"_Theta_!" Olivia screamed, making him look up in time to see her stumble off the edge.

"_Olivia_!" he shouted, rushing toward the edge and gripping a nook in the wall to steady himself when he saw her hands gripping the edge of the floor. He reached out and gripped one of her hands as her feet kicked just above the barrier of energy. "I've got you! Hold my hand! Pull yourself up! Come on!"

Olivia did as he told her, both ignoring Idris speaking into the mirror again, giving Rory the passkey. The console thrashed and Olivia was thrown up and onto the floor again, making the Doctor stumble back, still holding her hand.

"Grab onto the console and don't let go!" he shouted, pulling her hand toward it so that she could grip it as they both stood.

"They did it!" Idris reported. "Shields down!"

She spoke to Rory again as the two worked on the console, and Olivia looked ahead with a grin.

"There it is!" she shouted.

"It's not going to hold!" Idris shouted as the console sparked and smoked.

They were thrashed around again before the console halted, sending them all to the floor and as the smoke cleared, Olivia gasped and coughed at the sight of the room they'd landed in. A control room she knew well. The first control room she'd been introduced to when the TARDIS had landed in her room years ago.

"Doctor! Olivia!" Amy called as they stood and the Doctor shot to his feet to hug Amy tightly.

"Not good," Idris gasped as Olivia helped her up. "Not good at all. How do you walk around in these things?"

"We're not quite there yet, just hold on," the Doctor told her before looking back to Amy and Rory, saying, "Uh, Amy, this is…well, she's my TARDIS. Except she's a woman. She's a woman and she's my TARDIS."

"_She's_ the TARDIS?!" Amy squeaked in disbelief.

"And she's a woman. She's a woman and he's the TARDIS."

"Did you wish _really_ hard?" Amy wondered, making Olivia burst into laughter so hard she doubled over.

"Shut up!" the Doctor retorted as Idris stood. "Not like that. Liv! Stop laughing!"

"Hello," Idris panted. "I'm…Sexy."

Olivia's laughter howled even harder through the room as the Doctor groaned and turned to Amy.

"Still, shut up," he warned her.

"_The environment has been breached_," a familiar voice rang through the room, ceasing Olivia's laughter and making all of them freeze. "_Nephew, kill them __all_."

Their eyes shot around in terror before Rory questioned, "Where's Nephew?"

"He was standing right where you materialized," Amy reported.

"Ah, well, he must've been redistributed," the Doctor replied.

"Meaning what?" Rory asked.

"We're breathing him," Olivia blanched, making the others give disgusted faces.

"Another Ood I failed to save," the Doctor murmured.

"_Doctor, I did not expect you_," House confessed, cordially.

"Well, that's me all over, isn't it?" the Doctor replied, pacing around the console. "Lovely, old, unexpected me."

"_The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you. I could play with gravity…_"

They all gasped when their bodies instantly became heavier, sending them all to the ground with painful grunts each. They all groaned as they tried to get up, and a moment later they were released from their own weight to stand, but when Idris stood, she fell to the floor again, and Rory rushed to her side to aid her.

"_Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke._"

They all grabbed at their throats out of reflex when the air rushed from the room, making them gasp for breath.

"You really don't wanna do that!" the Doctor managed to call and the air returned to the room, unstantly.

"_Why shouldn't I just kill you now?_"

"Because then I won't be able to help you," the Doctor panted, making Olivia whip a wide-eyed gaze of disbelief at him. "Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust, and you know it. Right now I'm your only hope for getting out of your little bubble through the rift and into _my_ universe. And mine's the one with the _food_ in it! You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all. Just promise."

"You can't be serious!" Amy snapped at the Doctor.

"I'm very serious," he replied. "I'm sure it's an entity of its word."

"Doctor, she's burning up," Rory reported, making the three look to him and the Doctor ran toward Idris. "She's asking for water."

"Hang in there, Old Girl," he murmured. "Not long now. It'll be over soon."

"I always liked it when you called me Old Girl," she replied in a weak voice before the Doctor looked to Olivia over his shoulder as she stood behind him.

"Look after her," he ordered and she nodded before switching places with him.

"_You want me to give my word? Easy. I promise._"

"Fine, ok," the Doctor replied. "I trust you."

"I don't," Olivia ground out, making him meet her eyes with a warning gaze.

"Just delete thirty percent of the TARDIS rooms. You'll free up thrust, enough to make it through. Activate subroutine Sigma Nine."

"_Why would you tell me this?_"

"Because we wanna get back to out universe as badly as you do…and I'm nice."

"_Yes. I __can__ delete rooms. And I can also rid myself of vermin if I delete __this__ room __first__. Thank you, Doctor. Very helpful_."

"Oh…" Olivia breathed in realization, making Rory frown at her.

"Oh, what?" he asked.

"He's a genius," she whispered.

"_Goodbye, Time Lord. Goodbye, little humans. Goodbye, Idris_."

A bright light shone brightly above them, blinding them, and a second later…they were in the main control room.

"Yes, I mean you _could_ do that, but it just won't work," the Doctor began, pacing around the console.

"Fail safe, hardwired into the TARDIS," Olivia grinned, standing to step toward the console. "Any living thing in a room that's deleted get automatically dropped in here…the main control room."

"But thanks for the lift!" the Doctor grinned.

"_We are __in__ your universe now, Doctor. Why should it matter to __me__ in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me. I've killed __hundreds__ of Time Lords._"

"Fear me," the Doctor murmured. "I've killed _all_ of them."

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned at him before he held up a hand to silence her.

"Yeah," he continued. "You're right, you've completely won! Oh, can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways. But before you _do_ kill us, allow me and my friends to congratulate you on being an absolutely worthy opponent."

He began clapping, urging Olivia to do the same as she stood with him and she frowned at him in absolute confusion before beginning to clap.

"Congratulations?" she called, then noticed the Doctor glancing at Idris and Rory.

"Yep, you've defeated us, me and my lovely friends here," the Doctor continued. "And last, but _definitely_ not least, the TARDIS matrix herself, a living consciousness you _ripped_ out of this very control room and locked up into a human body! And look at her."

"Doctor, she's stopped breathing," Rory reported, making Amy kneel next to him as Olivia shot her gaze to Idris' body before looking back at the Doctor.

"_Enough. That is enough_."

"No!" the Doctor snapped. "It's never enough! You forced the TARDIS into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room. A flesh body can't hold the TARDIS matrix and _live_! Look at her body, House."

"_And, you think I should mourn her?_"

"No. I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room."

As the Doctor spoke, Idris' body arched, her mouth opening to release golden, huon particles that began flying around the room. The TARDIS matrix.

"You took her from her home, but now she's back in the box again she's free."

They all stared in awe as the lights dazzled around the room, House objecting and sounding as though he were struggling.

"Look at my girl," the Doctor grinned, admirably. "Look at her go. Bigger on the inside! See, House, that's your problem. The size of a planet, but inside you are just…so…_small_! Finish him off, girl."

House shouted in agony as the green lights in the TARDIS faded, something shone behind the Doctor as he leaned on the console. Olivia looked to where Idris' body had been only to find it was gone and when she looked up behind the Doctor she saw her on the stair.

"Doctor," Idris called, making him turn. "Are you there? It's so very dark in here."

"I'm here," he smiled, stepping closer to her as she looked to him. "Hey."

"I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now."

"What word?"

"Alive. I'm alive."

"Alive isn't sad."

"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here, but this is when we _talked_, and now, even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to you."

"Goodbye," the Doctor guessed in a murmur, tears in his eyes as he swallowed.

"No. I just wanted to say…Hello. Hello, Doctor. It's so very, very nice to meet you."

Olivia felt tears gathered in her eyes as Idris shuddered from crying, but kept a smile as he Doctor reached for Olivia's hand and she gripped it tightly without a word.

"Please," he shuddered. "I don't want you to."

Her body became brighter as the engines sounded and she disappeared with a final whisper of, "I love you."

The lights came back on as Amy and Rory held onto each other and Olivia looked to the Doctor as he sniffled, turning to the console and still holding her hand. She reached up without a word and brushed a tear from his cheek.

* * *

_Later..._

"How's it going down there?" Rory asked, looking down at the Doctor through the glass floor as the Time Lord sat in his swing beneath it the console.

"Yeah, just putting a firewall around the matrix!" he called back. "Almost done."

"Are you gonna make her talk again?" Amy wondered through the glass as well, half serious, half in jest.

"Can't," the Doctor replied.

"Why not?" Rory wondered, heading down the stairs to stand next to Olivia as she watched him as well.

"Spacey-wacey, isn't it?" Amy guessed.

"Well, actually, it's because the Time Lords discovered that if you take an eleventh dimensional matrix and fold it into a mechanical, then—"

Brilliant sparks went off around him when Rory touched a circuit.

"Spacey-wacey," Olivia confirmed, grabbing Rory's sleeve and dragging him back toward the stairs where she sat.

"Sorry," Rory blurted, then added, "At the end, she was talking. She kept repeating something. I don't know what it meant."

"What did she say?" the Doctor asked as he examined the circuits.

"The only water in the forest is the river," Rory recited. "She said we'd need to know that someday. It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Not yet," Olivia smirked, making him look to her with a slight smile before she tapped his arm in a friendly gesture, asking, "You alright?"

"No," he admitted, drawing the Doctor's attention to them as well as Amy came down the stairs to meet them. "I watched her die. I shouldn't let it get to me, but it still does. I'm a nurse."

"Letting it get to you," the Doctor replied. "You know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive, right now. That's all that counts. Nearly finished. Two more minutes, then we're off. The Eye of Orion's restful."

"If you like restful," Olivia smirked, knowingly.

"I could never really get the hang of restful," the Doctor admitted, looking to the circuits of the TARDIS and asking, "What do you think, dear, huh? Where should we take the kids this time?"

"Look at you pair," Amy chuckled. "It's always you and her, isn't it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe."

"Well, you say that as if it's a _bad_ thing," the Doctor noticed, wiping something down with a yellow handkerchief. "But, honestly, it's the best thing there is. The House deleted all the bedrooms. I should probably make you two a _new_ bedroom. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Ok, um, Doctor," Amy called. "This time, could we lose the bunk beds?"

"No! Bunk beds are cool! A bed…_with_ a ladder. You can't beat that."

Olivia couldn't help but smile when his case was met with frowns from the two.

"It's _your_ room. Up those stairs. Keep walking till you find it. Off you pop."

"Doctor, do you have a room?" Rory wondered, but Amy quickly grabbed his arm to drag him up the stairs to find their room before the Doctor could answer, Olivia remaining on the stair, watching him work.

"You're quiet again," he noticed, not looking at her.

"_We_ can have bunk beds in our room, if you want," she smiled, sweetly.

"Cheers!" he grinned at her as she watched him. "Thinking again?"

"Not really. Just watching you work." He turned back to his work and they were silent for a moment before she said, "Amy's right, isn't she? It'll always be you and her."

"Don't be jealous, Liv."

"I'm not jealous," she sighed in exasperation. "Why do you think I'm jealous?"

"Well, considering your track record with the women in my life, I'd think jealous is a good guess."

"I have no right to be jealous of this one. She was here _way_ before me."

"She likes you, Liv," he assured her. "She liked you the moment you boarded."

"I remember," Olivia smiled as he carefully stood from the swing and headed toward the stairs, taking Olivia's hand to pull her with him toward the console. "Fixed?"

"Fixed," he answered, using the Sonic on the console before leaning on it, Olivia stepping to the other side, waiting for his instructions, but he whispered to the console, "Are you there? Can you hear me? No, I'm a silly old…"

Olivia hid her sad smile as she stroked the console, not saying a word.

"Ok," he sighed. "The Eye of Orion, or wherever we need to go."

The launching lever moved on its own and the engines came alive, making them both grin before the Doctor ran around the console excitedly.

"Someone's in a better mood!" Olivia laughed, before shouted in delight when he grabbed her hand and Waltzed her around the console.

"Of _course_, I am!" he grinned, taking a turn around the console. "Everything's sorted! _Both_ of my sexy girls are back in the box and by my side where they belong!"

"_Our_ Doctor," Olivia smiled before giggling in delight when he dipped her back before pulling her upright and hugging her close, still grinning.

"_My_ girls."

* * *

_Later..._

"Where are you taking me?" Olivia giggled as the Doctor pulled her through the halls of the TARDIS, stopping at a door and grinning down at her.

"Our room," he announced, opening the door and pulling her inside. "What do you think?"

Olivia grinned as she looked around the room that was designed exactly like her room at her mother's house in Los Angeles…but with bunk beds.

"I _love_ it!" she grinned, hugging his arm and kissing his cheek.

"I call top bunk!" he grinned, running toward the bed to climb the ladder and flop onto the mattress on the top.

"You're such a little boy!" Olivia giggled, as she made her way to the bathroom while he adjusted in the bed. "I need a shower. That junkyard was almost as bad as being in that Star Whale then being puked up. _Almost_."

"Ah! Wait! Liv!" he called, hurrying off the bed to climb back down and hurry toward her as she turned to lean on the frame of the bathroom door. He lifted a hand and leaned his forearm on the frame, standing over her as he crossed one ankle over the other and placed a hand on his hip, showing off his suspenders and smirking, "Why don't we…have a shower together, eh?"

"Oh, sweetie, I wanna come out of this shower feeling _clean_, not dirty," she smirked, stepping closer to press a kiss to his cheek and whispered, "But if you wanna give up the top bunk for the night, I can make it up to you."

"But…top bunk," he muttered with a slight pout, making her smile, slyly.

"Oh, well," she shrugged casually, turning to head into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, leaving the Doctor staring at the door in thought.

When she came out of the shower fifteen minutes later in a fluffy purple robe, rubbing her hair dry with a towel, she couldn't help but giggle when she found the Doctor lying on his back in the bottom bunk.

"Changed your mind, did you?" she smirked, stepping toward him to sit on the edge of the mattress, smiling down at him.

"I'm going to ask you a question, Mrs. Sigma, and you are _not_ allowed to be cross," he told her, making her lift a brow at him as she sat up straight.

"Well, that depends on the question, Mr. Sigma," she retorted, resuming in drying her hair with the towel.

"What secret was she talking about?" he asked, knowing she would understand his meaning. Her hands froze in her hair, making the Doctor sit up as they kept each other's gazes. "Is it the one I'm not supposed to ask you about?"

"No…" she breathed, her eyes shifting over his face before she stood to head toward her dresser. "But it may as well be. Don't ask me about it again, Theta."

"Liv—"

"Please," she cut him off in a desperate tone as he swung his legs off the mattress, facing her as he froze on the bed. "You heard her yourself, you'll find out eventually, and when you do, everything will change. You'll hate me forever, and you'll leave me back with my mother, in tears."

The Doctor frowned at her back as she changed into pajamas made of silk, shorts and a matching tank top. She went to hang her fluffy robe in her closet as he stood and stepped toward her, making her freeze when she heard his footsteps. She hung up the robe and didn't stop him when his arms slid around her waist to pull her against him, setting his chin on her shoulder.

"I could never hate you, Liv," he murmured. "No matter what it is, we'll get through it together, and I _won't_ leave you. I _love_ you."

"I love you, too," she sighed, resting her cheek against his, aligning her arms with his to hold his hands in front of her. It did nothing to ease her nerves, but she said nothing else, not wanting to start an argument since they were both still raw from this latest adventure.

"Come to bed," he whispered, hugging her before gripping one of her hands and turning to pull her with him toward the bed.

* * *

**A/N:** for the record...bunk bed ARE cool. reviews?


	12. Flesh

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Flesh**_

Olivia danced around the console to Muse's _Supermassive Black Hole_ as the Doctor stood staring at the scanner, Amy and Rory near the TARDIS door, playing darts. She giggled giddily as she stopped next to the Doctor, hugging his arm before looking to the scanner as well and her smile fell.

"You're only gonna get the same result from that scanner," she murmured to him as he still stared at the scan for Amy's pregnancy, which was still switching between positive and negative.

"I know," he replied in a low tone.

"Then why do you keep scanning her?" she wondered with a frown, finally making him glance at her then look to Amy.

"Thing," he replied. "Clever thing. Just follow my lead, Liv."

"When do I ever do _anything_ else?" she smiled, making him smile back at her before planting a kiss to her cheek and shutting the music off.

"Who want fish and chips?" he asked, making Rory turn and raise his hand as Olivia's hand shot in the air as well with a grin. "I'll drop you both off. Take your time, don't rush. But remember to bring some back for us."

"Uh, and you two?" Rory asked as the Doctor ran around the console.

"We have things to do, things involving…other things," the Doctor replied, making Olivia frown at him in confusion.

"Well, we'll stay with you," Amy objected. "We'll do the _other_ things."

"Nope," the Doctor chirped, hitting something on the console as Amy and Rory came up the stairs and she narrowed her gaze at him.

"Whatever you're up to, I personally, would like to be a part of it," Amy told him, but when the Doctor only stared at her and Olivia remained silent, chewing her lower lip nervously, Amy glanced between them, questioning, "What?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but an alarm blared instead, making all of them glance around in wonder before the TARDIS thrashed. They all shouted, grabbing onto the console as it thrashed again, and Olivia managed to keep herself in front of the scanner as the Doctor tried to pull himself toward her when she examined it.

"Solar tsunami!" she announced. "It's come directly from the sun! _Huge_ tidal wave of radiation!"

She and the Doctor operated the console, Amy and Rory stumbling around them.

"Oh, Doctor, my tummy's going funny!" Rory called, hanging onto the railing.

"Well, the gyros are dissipated!" the Doctor called back as they thrashed around. "Target tracking is out!" He shoved another lever up on the console before grabbing Olivia's hand, calling, "Assume the position!"

Amy plopped into the jump seat, throwing her arms over her head, Rory dove to the floor, doing the same and the Doctor shoved Olivia against the console to plant his lips to hers. A moment later the TARDIS came to a halt and the Doctor pulled away from Olivia to glance around the control room as she stared at him with a wide-eyed frown.

"What was that?!" she squeaked, standing tall and straightening herself out.

"The position," he shrugged. "If we were gonna crash and die, wouldn't _you_ want to go out that way? Anyway it doesn't matter because _that_ was a textbook landing."

"Oh, yes, that was _perfect_," Olivia retorted.

"Where are we?" Amy wondered, slowly getting up from her seat with Rory right next to her.

"I dunno. Let's find out!" the Doctor replied, grabbing Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the door to open it and announce, "Behold! A Cockerel. Love a Cockerel. And underneath, a monastery, thirteenth century."

"Doesn't feel like the thirteenth century to me," Olivia replied, looking up at the huge stone building they were standing at the base of.

"Oh, we've gone all medieval," Amy noticed, shutting the TARDIS door.

"I'm not sure about that," Rory replied as the Doctor stepped away toward a fissure in the ground, Olivia following.

"Really?" Amy shot back. "Medieval expert, are you?"

"No, it's just that I can hear Dusty Springfield."

"These fissures are new," the Doctor explained as Olivia stepped next to him, Amy and Rory catching up to them.

"The Solar Tsunami will have sent a massive wave of gamma particles," Olivia reported. "So these were caused by a magnetic earthquake that most likely occurred before the wave hit."

"Ooh, Liv," the Doctor hummed through a smirk, standing tall next to her and reaching into his pocket. "I love it when you go all clever."

"Not just a pretty face," she smirked back, then frowned when he pulled a small snow globe from his pocket to shake it, examine it, then tuck it back into his pocket. "And this is right up my alley as in astrophysicist. What's with the snow globe?"

"Clever thing," he replied.

"Well, the monastery's still standing," Amy observed.

"Yeah, for now," the Doctor replied.

"Doctor, look," Rory called, pointing to the pipe as Olivia pulled her Sonic from her jacket pocket.

"Ah, it's a supply pipe," he replied, both he and Olivia using their Sonic's on it before looking to them for the results. "Ceramic inner lining."

"Definitely something corrosive," Olivia reported.

"They're pumping something nasty off this island to the mainland," the Doctor observed.

"My mum's a _massive_ fan of Dusty Springfield," Rory mused as the distant music still played.

"Who isn't?" the Doctor wondered before grabbing Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the stairs leading into the monastery. "Right, let's go! Satisfy our rabid curiosity."

"So, where are these Dusty Springfield-loving monks, then?" Amy wondered as they marched through the courtyard.

"I think we're here," the Doctor blurted, using his Sonic as he passed stone walls. "This is it."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Rory wondered as they continued. "We've never been here before."

"We came here be accident," Amy recalled.

"Accident?" the Doctor asked as they stepped up another small set of stairs. "Yes, I know. Accident."

"You're being confusing again," Olivia whispered to him as Rory reached for something and burned himself on it, making him shout in pain and pull his hand back.

"Acid," the Doctor blurted as Amy took Rory's hand to examine it. "They're pumping acid off this island. That's old stuff. Fresh acid, you wouldn't have a finger."

They all jumped when an alarm suddenly blared, calling, "_Intruder alert_."

"There are people coming," the Doctor told them, calmly. "Well, almost."

"Almost coming?" Amy guessed.

"Almost people," he corrected, making them frown at him before he grabbed Olivia's hand to drag her through the monastery, Amy following them.

"I think we should probably…probably go," Rory suggested.

"Come on!" Amy called to him as she ran back to pull him along with them.

"I am _telling_ you, when something runs toward you, it's _never_ for a nice reason!" he told her but she only dragged him after the Doctor and Olivia. The Doctor led them through the building and finally into a huge room filled with machinery and harnesses with people in orange jumpsuits lying in them.

"What are all these harnesses for?" Amy wondered as they followed the Doctor.

"The Almost People?" Rory guessed.

"Are they prisoners, or what?" Olivia wondered as the Doctor stopped them toward the other exit.

"Well, at the moment they fall into the 'Or What' category," the Doctor replied.

"_Halt and remain calm_," the PA system announced.

"Well, we're halted," Olivia nodded. "Everybody feeling calm? 'Cause I'm not."

"Don't move!" a Scotsman with white hair shouted at them, pointing some kind of weapon at them as two other people came up next to him, all in orange jumpsuits…two with the same faces as two of the men in the harnesses.

"Stay back, Jen," the other man told the woman with them, also pointing a weapon at the four. "We don't know who they are."

"So let's ask them," the woman, Jennifer, replied. "Who the hell are you?"

"Well, I'm the Doctor and this is Olivia, Amy and Rory, and it's all very _nice_, isn't it?" the Doctor smiled.

"Uh, hang on," Olivia cut in. "They have the same faces."

"What are you all, like identical twins?" Amy wondered, noticing it as well.

"This is an Alpha grade industrial facility," another woman called, coming into the other exit with another man, both in suits that reminded Olivia of a Sontaran suit, but in brown. "Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetsan, you are in _big_ trouble."

"Actually, _you're_ in big trouble," the Doctor retorted, pulling out his Psychic Paper and holding it toward her.

"Meteorological department?" she, Cleaves, sneered, taking the paper from him to read it. "Since when?"

"Since you were hit by a solar wave," the Doctor replied.

"Which we survived," Cleaves retorted.

"Just barely," Olivia shot back. "There's a bigger one on its way."

"Which we'll _also_ survive," Cleaves assured them, then ordered the man in a suit like hers, "Dicken, scan for bugs."

"Backs against the wall," the Scotsman ordered them. "Now."

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and walked her back with Amy and Rory, letting Dicken scan them.

"You're not a monastery," the Doctor realized. "You're a factory. Twenty-second century, army-owned factory."

"You're _army_?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"No, love, we're contractors," Cleaves explained. "And you're trespassers."

"It's ok, boss," Dicken reported, stepping back from the four.

"Alright, weatherman, your ID checks out," Cleaves assured him as he stepped toward her again. "If there's another solar storm, what ya gonna do about it? Hand out sunblock?"

The Doctor laughed, taking his Psychic Paper back before asking, "I need to see you're critical systems."

"Which one?" Cleaves asked.

"You _know_ which one," the Doctor retorted, making Olivia frown up at him but she remained silent.

"This way," Cleaves told them, leading the four though the hallway she and Dicken had come from, Jennifer, Buzzer and Jimmy following Amy and Rory as the Doctor held tightly to Olivia's hand. They stopped to let Cleaves and Dicken change out of their Acid Suits and lead them the rest of the way and into a room with a huge metal vat of white liquid. The Doctor instantly went up to it, releasing Olivia's hand as she stepped up to the side, staring wide eyes at it as he went around, opposite her.

"And there you are," he murmured.

"What the hell is that?" Olivia breathed.

"Meet the government's worst-kept secret," Cleaves replied. "The Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level."

"Right. Brilliant," Amy nodded then admitted. "Lost."

"Ok," Cleaves drawled, frowning at her. "Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into _anything_, replicate a living organism. Down to the hairs on its chinny chin chin. Even clothes. And everything's identical. Eyes, voice…"

"Mind, soul," the Doctor finished when she trailed off.

"Don't be fooled, Doctor," Cleaves shot back. "It _acts_ like life, but it stills needs to be controlled by _us_ from those harnesses you saw."

Olivia watched the Doctor closely, seeing the wheels turning in his head but noticing that he was anxious as they did.

"Wait, whoa, hold it," Rory called, drawing everyone's attention to him. "So…you're Flesh _now_?"

"I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber," Cleaves explained. "We all are, except Jennifer, here. Don't be scared. This thing? Just like operating a forklift truck."

"You said it grows," Olivia recalled, drawing Cleaves' attention to her. "Living things _grow_."

"Moss grows," Cleaves replied. "It's no more than that."

"Right," Olivia nodded then, mockingly added, "Because even _moss_ is lifeless."

"This acid is dangerous," Cleaves retorted. "We were losing a worker every week. So now we mine the acid using these doppelgangers, or Gangers. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid—"

"Then who the hell cares, right, Jen?" Buzzer finished, bitterly.

"Well, the nerve endings automatically cut off," Jennifer explained. "Like airbags being discharged. Except we wake up and get a new Ganger."

"It's weird," Jimmy admitted. "But you get used to it."

"Jennifer, I want you in your Ganger," Cleaves ordered. "Get back to the harness."

Jennifer turned to head out of the room as Olivia watched the Doctor pull his Sonic out and aim it at the Flesh.

"Hang on," Jimmy called. "What's he up to? What are you up to, pal?"

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned, seeing him struggle as he still scanned the Flesh with his Sonic. "What's wrong?"

"Stop it," he snapped before pulling the Sonic back as Olivia ran around the tub to stand next to him. "Strange. It was like, for a moment there, it was scanning _me_."

He lifted a hand over it and lowered it to the surface of the Flesh, struggling to hold it there.

"Doctor," Cleaves called in warning before it bubbled in agitation. "Get back, Doctor. Leave it alone!"

The Doctor groaned, his face tightening in pain as he held his hand on its surface, everyone watching him before he yanked his hand away, taking a step back.

"I understand," he blurted, staring at the Flesh.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Amy called.

"Incredible," the Doctor breathed, looking around at them. "You have no idea. _No_ idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it and _it_ to _me_."

"Don't fiddle with the money, Doctor," Cleaves suggested, sardonically.

"How can you be so blinkered?" the Doctor demanded. "It's alive. So alive. You're piling your lives, your personalities, directly into it."

Thunder crashed outside as the Doctor pulled out the little snow globe again to examine it while the whole building shook.

"It's the solar storm," Olivia reported. "The first waves come in pairs: Preshock and full shock. It's close."

"Buzz, have we got anything from the mainland yet?" Cleaves asked Buzzer as the Doctor strolled back toward the group, Olivia following him.

"No," he replied. "The coms are still too jammed with radiation."

"Ok, then we keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop," Cleaves reasoned, looking to the Doctor and Olivia. "Now why don't you stand back and let us impress you."

Olivia cautiously stepped toward the tub at the base of the vat of Flesh, pulling the Doctor with her by the hand. She swallowed and sneered in disgust as it filled with Flesh and the Doctor leaned next to her to watch as Jennifer was slowly formed, clothes and all. Ganger Jennifer sat up with a gasp for air, making Amy, Rory and Olivia jump back as she looked up at the Doctor.

"Well, I see why you keep it in a church," the Doctor blurted. "The miracle of life."

"No need to get poncey," Buzzer retorted. "It's just gunge."

"Guys, we need to get to work," Cleaves ordered them all as Jimmy and Buzzer helped Jennifer out of the tub.

"Ok, everybody. Let's crack on," Jimmy sighed before thunder clashed overhead again.

"Uh, does _anybody_ remember there's a solar storm on?" Olivia snapped, glancing between them all. "You guys need to get out of here!"

"Well, where do you want us to go?" Jimmy wondered. "We're on a tiny island."

"Well, I can get you all off it," the Doctor assured them.

"Don't be ridiculous," Cleaves shot back. "We've got a job to do."

"It's coming," the Doctor replied, looking at his snow globe, making Olivia frown at him again before an alarm blared.

"That's the alarm," Jennifer reported.

"How do you get power?" he questioned, tucking the snow globe away again.

"We're solar, and we use a solar router," Cleaves replied. "The weather vane."

"And, that's a problem," Olivia muttered then asked the Doctor, "Seriously, what's with the snow globe?"

"Told you. Clever thing," he replied again. "Follow my lead, remember?"

"I know, but—"

"Follow, Liv. Follow."

"Boss," Jimmy called. "Maybe if the storm comes back we should get underground. The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit."

"We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out," Cleaves reminded him. "We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anyone want that?"

The Doctor leaned over to grab Cleaves' arm to drag her away from them to speak to her, growling, "Please. You are making a _massive_ mistake here. You're right at the crossroads of it. Don't turn the wrong way. If you don't…if you _don't_ prepare for this storm, you are all in terrible danger, understand?"

"_My_ factory, _my_ rules," Cleaves replied, pulling her arm from his grip and stepping back toward the group.

"Blimey!" he ground out, softly so that only Olivia could hear him. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd meet someone _more_ stubborn than _you_, Liv."

"Nice to know the universe still surprises you," she smirked.

"I need to check the progress of the storm," he told them. "Monitoring station."

Jennifer hesitated when he pointed to her, making him ask her again.

"Three lefts, a right, and a left. Third door on your left," she finally replied.

"Thank you."

He marched out of the room, Olivia, Amy and Rory heading after him as the alarm blared again. They stumbled down the halls and the stairs as the building shook again and into the monitoring station with computers in the center of the room.

"The wave is disturbing the Earth's magnetic field!" Olivia called as they ran toward the computers. "There's gonna be a whopper of a power surge!"

"You see this weather vane, the cock-a-doodle-doo?" the Doctor began, still working. "It's a solar router, feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits…kaboom. I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose." He ran back toward the stairs, Olivia right behind him before he turned to them and grinned, "I never thought I'd have to say that again. Amy, breathe."

He shot off, leaving a confused Amy and Rory behind in the monitoring station as Olivia ran off after him. She followed him until he stopped when he came to a door leading onto the roof where he could get to the weather vane, the solar storm raging overhead.

"What are we gonna do?!" she asked him, both watching the weather vane twirl on its stand.

"_You're_ staying here, _I'm_ going up there!" he reported.

"Then you're gonna need this…!" Olivia grabbed the lapel of his jacket and planted her lips to his before quickly pulling away with a smack. "For luck!"

She shoved him toward the weather vane, sending him into an instant run toward the door leading to its ladder. Olivia swallowed, twirling her Psychic Wedding Band around her finger nervously as she watched him climb the ladder toward the box that read 'High Voltage.' He opened it and she winced when he grabbed onto something and pulled it away, making the box spark as the weather vane still twirled like mad on its stand. She screamed when he suddenly seized while touching something in the box, sending him flying back, off the ladder and landing on his back at her feet.

"_Theta_!" she screamed, kneeling next to him and trying to wake him. "Are you ok?! Wake up! Did you do it?! Wake _up_!"

Her head jerked when something hit the back of it, hard and she fell forward onto the Doctor, unconscious.

* * *

**A/N:** Liv needed a clever moment. i felt like she was kind fading into the background of the Doctor's cleverness. lol, reviews?


	13. Gangers

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Gangers**_

"Olivia…"

The voice was familiar, but sounded so far away, like a faint whisper. She recognized it as her name as she struggled out of the darkness, pain throbbing in her head.

"Olivia!"

It was louder now, and she felt as if she were being shaken.

"Wake up!"

She groaned and the shaking stopped as her eyes fluttered open, making her frown against the shifting sunlight above her.

"Liv, are you alright?" the Doctor hoped, looking her over as she lifted a hand to her head.

"My head," she groaned as he helped her slowly sit up and she rubbed the bump forming in her hair. "Something hit my head _really_ hard."

"That'll be the door of the panel I was working on," he told her, glancing to it where it sat a foot or so away from them as he reached into the pocket of his jacket. "Here, take this. One of the magic pills you like."

Olivia held out her hand to let him drop the pill into her palm then tossed it into her mouth, swallowing it as he took both her hands and stood.

"Come on. On your feet, darling," he urged, pulling her to her feet then lifting his hands to take her face into them and look into her eyes. "No concussion. Good. Now let's go find the others."

He took her hand and dragged her toward the stairs, and she was thankful her head was starting to feel better as they hurried down a set of stairs.

"Cleaves!" he called when he spotted her at the bottom of the stairs. "You're not in your harness!"

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she replied when they met her. "You were right."

"You've lost all power to the factory," he reported.

"Doctor, I abandoned my team," Cleaves murmured, making Olivia frown in wonder at her. She seemed disoriented.

"Then let's go get them," the Doctor told Cleaves, still holding Olivia's hand and heading from the courtyard and into the building. "How long would you say we were unconscious for, Cleaves?"

"Not long," she replied as they made their way down a hallway. "A minute, two minutes."

"I'd hazard we've been out a teensy bit longer," he objected.

"How long?" Olivia asked him as they stopped at a turn.

"An hour," he replied, making her eyes widen at him. "I've seen whole worlds turn inside out in an hour. A lot can go wrong in an hour."

He led them down the hall again until they reached the harness room where Amy and Rory had found everyone else.

"Doctor," Amy called as they entered. "These are all real people, so where are their Gangers?"

"Don't worry, when the link shuts down, the Gangers return to pure Flesh," Cleaves explained. "Now the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time."

Music suddenly began playing, making everyone freeze and stare at each other in confusion.

"Dusty Springfield," Olivia recognized. "That's what was playing when we got here."

"That's my record," Jimmy explained. "Who's playing my record?"

"Your Gangers," the Doctor replied, shooting everyone's gaze to him. "They've gone Walkabout."

"No, it's impossible," Cleaves objected.

"Clearly, it not," Olivia shot back.

"They're _not_ active. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves and Gangers don't—"

Cleaves cut herself off as the music continued then led everyone through the building to the dining hall which was a mess as they saw when they stepped inside.

"No way," Buzzer muttered, seeing their things had been strewn about the room.

"I don't…I-I don't believe this," Cleaves sputtered.

"They could've escaped through the service door at the back," Jimmy reported, sending Buzzer and Amy to head toward it to have a look.

"This is just like the Isle of Sheppey," Buzzer mused.

"It would seem the storm has animated your Gangers," the Doctor explained as he sat at the head of the table, facing everyone.

"They've ransacked everything," Cleaves noticed.

"Not ransacked, searched," the Doctor corrected.

"Through our stuff," she snapped back.

"Well, _their_ stuff," Olivia argued.

"Searching for what?" Jimmy wondered.

"Conformation," the Doctor replied. "They need to know their memories are real."

"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now," Buzzer snapped.

"They feel compelled to connect to their lives, yes," the Doctor replied.

"Their _stolen_ lives," Cleaves shot back.

"You _gave_ it to them," Olivia snapped back, leaning next to the Doctor on the table. "You poured your personalities, emotions, traits, memories and secrets into them. You _gave_ them your lives."

"Human lives are amazing," the Doctor continued. "Are you surprised they walked off with them?"

"I'll say it again," Buzzer blurted. "Isle of Sheppey. Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was all hanging—"

"Even if this has actually happened," Jimmy cut in, glaring at Buzzer before turning to the Doctor. "They can't remain stable without us plugged into them. Can they, boss?"

All eyes turned to Cleaves, but she hesitated for a moment before replying, "I guess we'll find out."

Jennifer suddenly gasped, making the Doctor and Olivia look to her as Rory stepped toward her.

"Are you ok?" he asked her. "Do you need some water?"

"I feel funny," she replied in a shaky voice. "I need the washroom."

Olivia straightened as she watched her march out of the room.

"I-I'll go with you," Rory called, hurrying after her.

"Liv, go with them," the Doctor told her.

"Yeah," she replied, making him look up at her in wide-eyed wonder when she stepped around him and went for the door, surprised she hadn't argued.

She didn't notice his stare as she quickly caught up with them, following them to the washroom where Jennifer stepped toward the sinks and Rory stopped in the doorway. He turned to her in surprise before looking back at Jennifer.

"The Doctor's always saying, 'Don't wander off'," he explained as Olivia crossed her arms, leaning on the stone threshold as she watched Jennifer carefully. "First rule with him actually: 'Don't wander off.'"

"I just need a minute," Jennifer reported, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Rory blurted then rambled, "Take all the time you need. I've got your back. You're fine."

"Rory, give the lady some privacy," Olivia advised, making him turn to her with a frown but she only lifted a hand to twirl it in the air, telling him to turn his back.

Jennifer suddenly made a choked noise and Olivia looked up in time to see her puke something into the sink then look to her reflection in horror. Jennifer turned and ran into one of the toilet stalls, making Olivia frown and shove off the wall to head toward the sink.

"Jennifer?" Rory called, turning to see what was going on. "What's up, Jennifer?"

Olivia stared at the sink Jennifer had been standing at with a wide-eyed frown of wonder as Rory stepped next to her.

"We, uh, better get going," he called. "Everything ok in there, Jen?"

"Rory, get out," Olivia ordered him, making him frown at her as she only stared at the blob of white puke Jennifer had left in the sink.

"What?"

"Get out!"

They both turned to the door in time for Rory to receive a punch to the face that sent him to the floor before the hand instantly grabbed Olivia by the neck and shoved her against the mirror, making it crack under the force of her head hitting it. Olivia choked, pulling at the hand around her throat to push it away but another hole burst through the bathroom stall door, Jennifer's face slithering out of it, pale and sickly, her eyes glazed over with white film.

"Just let us live!" she growled an inch from Olivia's face as she stared wide, jade eyes back at her, still choking.

"Let her go!" Rory shouted, pulling at the arm holding Olivia against the wall as she kicked to be free, still struggling for air as she felt her lungs burning for oxygen. The hand finally released her, making her cough and gasp as she fell back against the mirror and sit on the sink counter.

"Rory—!" she coughed as she glared at Jennifer's face slithering back into the stall. "Get out of here!"

"I can't leave you!" he refused.

"I'll be fine, just go!" Olivia coughed, shoving him away.

She watched Rory run out of the room and quickly pretended to be passed out, letting herself go limp just as the bathroom stall opened and Jennifer staggered out, her face flat and white. Olivia opened her eyes just enough to see Jennifer look around before she stepped closer to Olivia, leaning forward to stare at her but she remained still, keeping her breathing even, though her heart was racing a mile a minute. Jennifer finally moved away and headed out the door, making Olivia sigh in relief and lift her head to lean in back on the mirror. She groaned as she pushed herself off sink then felt at her head to make sure it wasn't bleeding. She froze when she heard footsteps rushing down the stone steps, but relaxed again when Jimmy led the Doctor and Amy into the room.

"Liv!" the Doctor called, rushing toward her to look her over, noticing her hand on her head. "You ok? What happened?"

"Where's Rory?" Amy questioned.

"He ran," Olivia explained. "Jennifer's a Ganger."

"He ran and left you _here_?!" the Doctor snapped.

"I told him to," Olivia assured him. "She attacked us."

"Doctor, you said they wouldn't be violent," Amy recalled.

"But I _did_ say they were scared and angry," he reminded her, looking into Olivia's eyes to be sure she was alright.

"And early technology is what you said," Jimmy recalled, making Olivia frown at the Doctor in wonder when she heard him. "You seem to know something about the Flesh."

"Do you?" Amy wondered. "Doctor?"

He turned to Amy to stare at her and Olivia frowned in wonder at the look in his eyes, almost as if he didn't know what to make of her.

"You're no weatherman," Jimmy realized. "Why are you really here?"

"I have to talk to them," the Doctor insisted. "I can fix this."

He grabbed Olivia's hand and bolted back up the stairs, Amy and Jimmy following them.

"Wait!" Jimmy called, as they still ran. "What's going on?! Where's the real Jennifer?!"

The Doctor didn't answer as he led them through the building, still gripping Olivia's hand, and she rubbed her thumb over her Psychic Band to find their link.

_Theta, what's going on?_" she questioned. "_We didn't come here by accident and you obviously know something about the Flesh. What the __hell__ aren't you telling me?_"

_A lot. Can we not do this now, Liv, please?_" he replied, making her grit her teeth in irritation but she kept silent as they went up another set of stairs.

They turned into a hallway, but stopped with a shout when steam blew from a pipe on the wall, making them back away to stare down at the acid puddle on the floor.

"It is _too_ dangerous out here with acid leaks!" the Doctor reported.

"We have to find Rory!" Amy argued.

"Yes, we're going back to the TARDIS," he told her. "Wait for us in the dining hall. I want us to keep together, ok? No more wandering off."

"And what about Rory?" Amy insisted as he stepped around them to head back, dragging Olivia with him.

"It'll be safer to look for him _and_ Jennifer in the TARDIS," she assured them.

The Doctor pulled her away but had to go back as Jimmy pulled a box of distress flares from the wall they'd passed.

"Exit?" he asked him.

"Keep going straight, can't miss it," Jimmy replied. "But you're never gonna get your vehicle in here."

"I'm a great parker," the Doctor smirked back before heading for the exit.

"You sure you don't want me to stay with Amy?" Olivia asked him as he dragged her along. "She'll go after Rory anyway, you know that."

"Yes, but I need you with me, now," he told her as they made at turn, but she stopped and pulled her hand from his, making him whirl on her with a frown. "Liv—?"

"What's going on?" she demanded. "You already knew about the Flesh before we got here. _This_ is where we coming after we dropped off Amy and Rory, so what is this? Why won't you tell me?!"

"If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have told you anything if Amy and Rory weren't with us," he shot back, stepping closer to loom over her. "Now stop it, and do as I say. We have to find Rory and Jennifer and once this is all sorted, you'll understand. I promise, Liv."

She swallowed before nodding, lowering her gaze which he quickly brought back up to meet his by pulling her chin up, gently.

"I asked when we first met if you trusted me, and you said yes," he recalled. "Trust me now, my love."

"Of course I trust you," she breathed. "I've always trusted you."

He gave a small smile before leaning down to press a tender kiss to her lips then gripping her hand and pulling her down the hall. He led them back to the Flesh room, making her give a frown when he stepped up to the vat to examine it again, using his Sonic on it. It bubbled in agitation as he scanned it and Olivia could see the wheels turning in his head again before he pulled the Sonic back and led her out of the room.

"Did it scan you again?" Olivia wondered as he pulled her toward the stairs leading to the TARDIS.

"Yes," he replied, hurrying down the stairs and Olivia gasped at the sight of the TARDIS sinking into the ground, only the roof visible.

"What are you doing down there?" the Doctor groaned, stepping onto the grass as Olivia remained on the stairs.

"Doctor, get back up here!" she called, looking down at his shoes and he yelped before leaning down to unlace them as the acid from the ground started eating away at them. "God, you're an idiot. Acid everywhere and you just walk around like nothing can touch you. What do we do now?"

"Follow me," he replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him again. "We've gotta find the Gangers."

"Why?!" she squeaked as he pulled her along and she kept up next to him. "They're trying to kill us!"

"Only that one," he recalled. "And she wasn't trying to kill you. She's just scared. Like the humans that created them, they lash out when they're frightened."

"Didn't feel like fright to me when she tried _choking_ me to death," Olivia muttered.

"Did I mention they're also _angry_?" he asked as they reached a door and he used the Sonic on it to unlock it.

"What's this?" she wondered.

"The acid room," he replied, pulling her through the door and heading down the stairs.

"Look! The suits!" Olivia noticed, seeing them sitting on the floor as the Doctor pulled her toward them.

They stopped when they looked to the shoes next to them, then followed the legs attached to them to see the Gangers of the crew, except Jennifer. Olivia jumped back at the sight of their faces, not fully formed as Jennifer's had been.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted. "How are you all getting on?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Ganger Cleaves retorted.

"Well, we have two choices," the Doctor began. "The first is to tear each other apart…not my favorite. The second is to knuckle down and work together, try to work out how best we can help you. If you like option two, you can follow me back to the dining hall where everyone is waiting and I'll explain everything to them."

"Why should we trust you?" Ganger Cleaves wondered.

"We're not trying to harm you," Olivia replied, stepping next to the Doctor. "He wants to _help_ you."

Ganger Cleaves stared at her for a moment before giving a nod, making the Doctor grin and clap his hands.

"Excellent!" he cheered. "Now, I know it's difficult, but do you think you could…put your faces on?"

They managed to form their faces properly and he took Olivia's hand to lead her up the stairs, followed by the Gangers.

"Now, I know it's hard for you to hold your fully human form," he called as he led them toward the dining hall. "That's why you keep shifting between the Flesh stages. But do _try_. It'll make the others less scared of you."

"We hope," Olivia muttered, making him nudge her arm with his.

It wasn't long before they reached the doorway where they heard Amy say, "Let's not do anything at all…"

"Until the Doctor gets here!" he finished for her, stepping through the plastic draped over the doorway, the Gangers following behind him. "Hello."

He stopped at the table as the crew stared at their Gangers in wide-eyed shock.

"This is…" Jimmy trailed off.

"You're telling _me_," Ganger Jimmy agreed.

"Alright, Doctor, you've brought us together, now what?" Ganger Cleaves asked.

"Before we do anything, I have one very important question," the Doctor replied then asked, "Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow? Size ten. Although I should warn you, I have very _wide_ feet."

Olivia looked around then ran toward a pair of shoes she found that matched the crew's boots. She checked the size on them before hurrying back to the Doctor and handing them over.

"Here," she said, shoving the shoes into his hands. He looked to her with a sneer of displeasure, making her glare back at him. "It's these or no shoes. Which would you prefer, dear?"

He took the shoes and put them on before sitting in one of the chairs, Olivia kneeling to tie them as he spoke.

"The Flesh was never merely moss," he told them all. "These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"With souls?" Buzzer breathed.

"Rubbish," Dicken blurted before sneezing.

"Bless you," Ganger Dicken said.

"What?" the Doctor went on as Olivia stood next to him. "We were all jelly, once. Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop."

"Yeah, thanks. Too much information," Amy shot back, as Olivia couldn't help but giggle.

"We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up," the Doctor continued. "We are talking about sacred life. Do you understand?"

No one objected, or said a word.

"Good," he nodded. "Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool. Once I can reach her, I can get you _all_ off this island, humans _and_ Gangers. How does that sound?"

"Can we go home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy wondered with a smile.

"What about me?" Ganger Jimmy asked. "He's my son, too."

"You? You really think that?"

"I feel it."

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"

"Yeah. I drank about eight pints of tea, and they told me I had a wee boy, and I just burst out laughing. No idea why. I miss home as much as you."

"I'm not gonna lie to you. It's a right odd mess, this," the Doctor confessed. "But as you might say up north, 'Oh, well, I'll just go to the foot of the stairs. Eh, by, by gum.'" He looked to Olivia with a grin but she closed her eyes with a frown, biting her lips as she shook her head. "Or not. Good. Right. First step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe, then get everyone out of here."

"Cleaves and Jennifer are still missing," Olivia reminded him.

"I'll go look for them," Jimmy reported, turning to head toward the door.

"I'll give you a hand, if ya like," Ganger Jimmy offered, heading after him. "Cover more ground."

"Yeah," Jimmy replied. "Ok, thanks."

"This circus has gone on long enough!" Cleaves shouted, coming up behind the group holding something small in one hand that was attached by a wire to a box in her other hand.

"Oh, great," Ganger Cleaves muttered. "You see, that is just so _typically_ me."

"Doctor, tell _it_ to shut up!" Cleaves snapped.

"Please, no," the Doctor pleaded, heading toward Cleaves. "No! No!"

"Circuit probe," Cleaves explained. "Fires about, ooh, forty thousand volts. Would kill any one of us, so I _guess_ she'll work on Gangers just the same."

"What _I_ find amusing is that you call the Gangers 'it' but the glorified cattle prod is a '_she_'," Olivia shot back.

"When the _real_ people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Miss Felton," Cleaves retorted.

"What are you gonna do to them?" Amy demanded.

"Sorry," Cleaves replied. "They're monsters, mistakes. They have to be destroyed."

"Give me the probe, Cleaves," the Doctor suggested, calmly.

"We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda?" Ganger Cleaves asked. "Even when we don't really know what the heel is going on."

Buzzer rushed toward Cleaves, making her aim the weapon at him and she zapped him with it three times, making him stop dead and seize as he fell to the floor.

"Stop!" the Doctor shouted, he and Amy running toward Buzzer as Olivia moved to take the thing from Cleaves, but she aimed it at her. "He's dead!"

"We call it decommissioned," Cleaves replied, still aiming her probe at Olivia as she glared at her, her own hands up in surrender.

"You stopped his heart," the Doctor reported. "He had a _heart_! Aorta, valves…a _real_, _human_ heart, and you stopped it!"

"Jen?" Rory called, seeing her eyes change as everyone looked to her as well.

"What happened to Buzz will happen to us _all_ if we trust you!" Jennifer snarled.

"Wait, just wait," the Doctor pleaded.

Cleaves looked away from Olivia to look at Jennifer and Olivia pounced, wrestling Cleaves to the ground and unplugging the probe as she struggled.

"No!" Cleaves growled as Olivia shoved away, holding the circuit probe as she stood. "You idiot!"

"Wait!" the Doctor shouted to the rest of the Gangers who ran from the room, and Cleaves stood, sending everyone's glares to her as Olivia marched toward the Doctor to hand him the probe.

"Look at what you've done, Cleaves," he ground out, taking the probe and throwing it aside, effectively breaking it.

"You've started a war," Olivia growled.

"If it's war then it's _war_," Cleaves shot back. "You don't get it, the pair of you. How can you? It's us and them now. Us and them."

"Us and them, Dicken agreed.

"Us and them," Jimmy replied.

"Idiots," Olivia growled.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	14. Doctors

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 14: Doctors**_

"This is the stupidest thing to happen that _wasn't_ your fault," Olivia hissed at the Doctor in irritation as Cleaves spoke to the men in her crew.

"Oi!" the Doctor chirped defensively. "When have I ever—?! No, never mind. Don't answer that."

"Exactly," Olivia murmured, looking over her shoulder at Amy and Rory wrapping Ganger Buzzer's body and arguing about Ganger Jennifer. "Rory's in a whole lot of trouble for being so chummy with Jennifer."

"They'll sort it," he assured her. "And since it seems we have no choice, we'll have to work with what we have. Cleaves, the most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?"

"The chapel," she replied. "Only one way in, stone walls two feet thick."

"You've crossed one hell of a line, Cleaves," he warned her. "You've killed one of them. They're coming back…in a big way."

"We should get to the chapel," Olivia suggested, looking to Cleaves and asking, "Where is it?"

"Follow me," she replied, leading the way out the door and through the halls as they all followed her, Olivia holding tight to the Doctor's hand as they ran through the building.

"What about the flares?" Jimmy asked when they reached the door to the chapel and the Doctor opened it to let everyone in before him.

"We'll worry about the flares when we're locked inside," the Doctor replied, making Olivia frown at him as she passed him, but froze when they heard a scream from somewhere in the monastery, making Rory stop and look back.

"Rory," Olivia called in warning, seeing the look in his eyes.

"Rory, come on," Amy urged.

"Jen's out there," he said. "She's out there and she's on her own."

"Well, if she's got any sense then she's hiding," the Doctor assured him.

"I can't leave her out there," Rory insisted. "I know you understand that."

"Rory Williams, don't be stupid!" Olivia snapped. "We've had enough stupidity for one day!"

"Get in here!" Amy ordered him.

"There they are!" Ganger Cleaves called from the end of the hall, two more of the Gangers with her.

Rory shot down the hall to his right as the Gangers continued toward the doorway where the three were standing. The Doctor grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her back into the room, Olivia slamming the door behind them.

"Rory!" Amy shouted, trying to get to the door again.

"Amy, they're not after him," the Doctor assured her. "They're after us."

"Why?! Why?!"

The Doctor, Olivia and Amy looked to the room as the crew barricaded the door.

"Show yourself," the Doctor called. "Show yourself!"

"Doctor, don't!" Olivia called when he slowly stepped, deeper into the room.

"This is insane," Jimmy laughed. "We're fighting _ourselves_!"

"Yes, it's insane and it's about to get even more insanerer," the Doctor replied as Amy and Olivia ran up next to him and he glanced between them. "Is that a word? Show yourself, right now!"

"Doctor, we are trapped in here and Rory is out there with them," Amy reminded him, but when he only stared ahead and didn't answer she called, "Hello! We can't get to the TARDIS, and we can't even leave the island."

"Correct in every respect, Pond," the voice they'd heard earlier replied…a voice that sounded _exactly_ like the Doctor's. "It's frightening, unexpected, frankly a total, utter, _splattering_ mess on the carpet. But I'm certain, one hundred percent certain, that we can work this out."

Olivia gasped and ducked behind the Doctor when Ganger Doctor stepped into the light to reveal his face, unformed and white.

"Trust me," Ganger Doctor said, straightening his bowtie. "I'm the Doctor."

"What…the…hell?" Olivia breathed before gasping and jumping back when Ganger Doctor screamed in agony and clamped his hands over his face. "What's happening?!"

She tried to hold onto the Doctor's arm when he slowly approached his Ganger.

"One day, we will get back," Ganger Doctor strained as Olivia's hand slipped from the Doctor's arm and she watched the two in terror, Amy right trying to help the crew barricade the door. "Yes. One day." He jerked in pain again, screaming in agony, shouting, "Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow!"

"Doctor, what's he doing?!" Olivia cried.

"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," he explained then told his Ganger, "Hold on!"

Ganger Doctor gasped in pain before reaching for the Doctor.

"Would you like a Jelly Baby?" he asked in a different voice, making Olivia hurry toward the Doctor to stand next to him, gripping his arm. "Why? Why? _Why_?!"

"'Why? Why' what?" the Doctor asked.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. _No_! Let it go! We've moved on!"

"Listen to me!" the Doctor called, grabbing onto his Ganger's lapels to keep him still. "Hold on! Hold on! You can stabilize."

"I've reversed the Jelly Baby of the neutron flow," Ganger Doctor, slurred, as if he were drunk. "And would you like a…Doctor."

"Hold on," the Doctor urged when it looked like his Ganger was fading.

"_No_!" Ganger Doctor screamed before shoving the Doctor away, making him stumble into Olivia as Cleaves and Jimmy held Amy back when she tried to help.

"Liv, go to him," the Doctor ordered her, making her frown at him as she helped him stand tall.

"What?!" she hissed.

"You'll help him stabilize," he explained, pushing her toward him. "Go!"

"Why?!" Ganger Doctor growled, his hands over his face again. "Why?"

"Doctor?" Olivia called, cautiously as she slowly approached him. The Gangers on the other side of the door started banging on it, making everyone else place more barricades in front of it as the Doctor and Amy only watched Olivia and Ganger Doctor. "Theta?"

He gasped and looked up at her with wide eyes, making her jump but she didn't back away.

"Liv…" he breathed, reaching for her and gripping her shoulders, firmly as she held his arms. "Olivia Felton. Olivia Lydia Felton. My girl. The girl who never let me go. Why?!"

"I…I don't know," she frowned, feeling a lump forming in her throat when she saw suffering in his eyes. "I don't know what you're saying."

"Liv," he sighed, pulling her closer and hugging her tightly and she hugged him in return just as the banging at the door stopped.

"I think I liked it better when they were being noisy," Buzzer admitted.

"Doctor," Amy called, irritably. "We need you. Get over here!"

"Cybermats," the Doctor asked Ganger Doctor.

"Do we have time for this?" Ganger Doctor wondered, making Olivia frown between them as she pulled away from Ganger Doctor, but he kept his arms around her waist.

"We _make_ time," the Doctor replied. "I'd like more proof that you're me. Cybermats."

"Created by the Cybermen," Ganger Doctor replied, nuzzling Olivia's cheek and making her giggle. "They kill by feeding off brainwaves."

"Liv, ask him a question," the Doctor ordered, making her frown at him over her shoulder as Ganger Doctor stared down at her. "Something only you and I would know."

"Oh…ok," she fumbled before looking to Ganger Doctor and asking, "Um…what's in my eyes?"

"Starlight," Ganger Doctor smiled, warmly. "You've always had starlight in you eyes, Liv. Even Jack saw it."

Olivia couldn't help but smile before looking to the Doctor and smirking, "Ya know…two Doctors could be _really_ interesting."

"Liv, be_have_," Ganger Doctor murmured in her ear.

"Oh, yeah," Olivia nodded. "He's you."

"Thought so," the Doctor couldn't help but smirk before telling her, "Go help out Amy and the others. Be with you in a moment."

Ganger Doctor planted a kiss to her cheek before releasing her and as she passed the Doctor, he stopped her and pressed a kiss to her cheek as well before she made her way toward Amy.

"Are you sure there aren't any weapons we could get to, like big guns with bits on them?" Amy wondered.

"Yeah, big guns would be good right now," Buzzer agreed.

"Why would we have guns?" Jimmy wondered. "We're a factory. We _mine_."

"Steam," Olivia blurted, pointing at the door and making them turn to the barricaded door, watching the steam hiss up from it.

"Acid," Amy realized before the banging came back.

"Oh, great," Olivia sighed. "They figured _that_ out."

She turned to head toward the Doctor and his Ganger to find them standing side by side.

"Rory and Amy, they might not trust both of us," the Doctor to her left said, making her glance between them as she stood in front of them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the Doctor to her right asked.

"Inevitably."

"See, I'm glad we're on the same…"

"Wavelength. See? Great minds."

"Exactly. So what's plan?"

"We save them all, humans and Gangers."

"Tall order. Sounds wonderful."

"Is that what you were thinking?"

"Yes. It's just so _inspiring_ to hear me say it."

"I know."

"Just so you know," Olivia cut in, making them both look to her. "When I said interesting, _this_ isn't what I had in mind."

"I know," they replied together, making her stare back at them with wide eyes.

"Ok, that's just…weird," she blurted.

"Doctor!" Amy called as the banging continued, the crew standing around the door, bracing for a fight.

"So, what now Doctor?"

"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor."

Both Doctor's headed toward them, one of them grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her with them.

"Hello! Sorry," they said together as she and Amy looked down at their shoes to find them wearing two different pairs.

"But we had to establish a few…"

"Ground rules, formulate a…"

"Protocol."

"Protocol, very posh."

"Protocol between us, otherwise…"

"It gets horribly embarrassing…"

"Potentially confusing."

"Potentially?" Olivia squeaked, looking to the one that held her hand. "It's _already_ confusing."

"Ok, well, I'm glad you solved the problem of confusing," Amy snapped.

"That's sarcasm," the Doctor holding Olivia's hand noticed.

"She's very good at sarcasm," the Doctor smirked before they both looked at her.

"Breathe!" they ordered her, making her jump with a start.

The three frowned at Olivia when she grabbed the left hand on the Doctor still holding one of hers and examined it.

"We have to get you off this island," he told them, still frowning at Olivia.

"And the Gangers too," the other Doctor replied just as Olivia grabbed his left hand to examine it as well.

"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" Cleaves snapped. "They are trying to kill us!"

"They're scared!" Olivia snapped back, looking at the Doctors' shoes again. The one holding her hand wore his usual shoes, the one to her left wore the worker's shoes.

"Doctor, we're trapped in here," Amy said to the Doctor on Olivia's left who stepped ahead.

"Right, see, I don't think so," he began. "The Flesh bowl is fed by cabling from above."

"But where are the Earthing conduits?" the Doctor holding Olivia's hand asked.

"Well, this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft, or something, yes? With us?" the Doctor guessed, heading toward the wall to move a covering from the vent he found there. "Yowza! An escape route! You know I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hand out with me."

"Do we tend to say, 'Yowza'?" Ganger Doctor wondered.

"Only sometimes," Olivia smirked, knowingly.

"That's enough," the Doctor stopped her from going on. "Let it go, ok? We're under stress. Liv, be quiet."

"See?" she smirked. "Interesting."

"Stop it," Ganger Doctor smirked.

"Come on!" the Doctor called, using his Sonic on the grated door of the vent.

Once he opened it the crew piled in, Amy hurrying in as well as Olivia pulled Ganger Doctor by the hand into it, followed by the Doctor and Cleaves. They crawled ahead and it wasn't long before they were crawling out, Ganger Doctor helping Olivia out and keeping a hold on her hand as the Doctor and Cleaves climbed out as well.

"Hold up, you two," Olivia called, grabbing the Doctor's sleeve before he could pass by with Cleaves who led the group farther down the halls. Both Doctors turned to her with a frown each. "You've obviously got something going on. Some grand scheme, and I'll play along, but don't think you can gang up on me just because there's two of you, got it?"

"Yes, Liv," they replied together, both nodding, making her glance between them before heading after the group, dragging Ganger Doctor with her.

"Still weird," she muttered as they caught up with group.

"The army will send a recon team out," Jimmy explained.

"We need to find a way to contact the mainland," Cleaves reported.

"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy wondered. "They _are_ both out there."

"No!" the Doctor objected as they stopped. "This place is a maze. Takes a long time to find someone in a maze. I bet you lot have got a computer map, haven't you?"

Olivia gave a slight cough from the steam flowing around them.

"If we can get power running, we can scan for them," Cleaves reported. "It'll be a lot quicker."

They all started coughing, choking on the air around them.

"Doctor," Amy choked. "You said earlier to breathe."

"Very important, Pond, breathe," he replied.

"Yeah, well, I'm struggling to," she retorted.

"Acid interacting with the stone, creating an asphyxiant miasma," he explained, still choking.

"A what?" Cleaves questioned.

"Choking gas!" Ganger Doctor replied. "Extra heavy. If we could get above it!"

"Evac tower, this way!" Cleaves reported, leading them down the hall.

Ganger Doctor held Olivia by her arms to follow with the group, everyone still coughing until they reached a set of stairs and struggled up to the door at the top. The Doctor let them all in, Amy stumbling after him as the crew hurried toward the computers in the room.

"I think I coughed so hard I pulled a muscle or something," Amy strained, making the Doctor look to her in worry. "It's ok. It's good. It's easing off."

Olivia let the Ganger Doctor's hand go so he could run toward the computers and work on them with the Doctor as a bell tolled.

"Midnight," Jimmy realized. "It's Adam's birthday. My son's five. Happy birthday, bud."

"Need help?" Olivia asked the Doctors as she ran toward the back on the panel to watch them work.

"Not just yet," Ganger Doctor replied.

"But thanks, Liv," the Doctor replied as she stepped between them to lean back and watch them work.

"Can you _really_ get the power back?" Cleaves questioned.

"Oh, there's always some power floating around…" Ganger Doctor replied, before ducking down as the Doctor stood tall to look over the computers.

"Sticking to the wires like bits of lint," he finished.

"Can you stop finishing each other's—?"

"Sentences," the Doctor finished Amy's sentence. "No probs."

"I kinda like it, if my opinion matters," Olivia chimed in, making Amy send a glare at her as both Doctor's came up and kissed a cheek each, making her grin.

"Of course your opinion matters," the Doctor smiled.

"It always matters," Ganger Doctor smiled before they both ducked down to work on the panel.

"Oh, you are just eating this up, aren't you?" Amy retorted at Olivia who only nodded with a huge grin. "No, but hang on, you said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"

"Nah," the Doctor drawled, standing to look at her. "She's a tough old thing. Tough…old…Sexy."

"Yeah, tough, _dependable_ Sexy," Ganger Doctor smiled, making Olivia roll her eyes but she couldn't help but smirk.

"Come on, ok?" Amy called. "How can you _both_ be real?"

"Well, because…" Ganger Doctor replied, examining something then looked up at her, "…we are. I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah, and so am I!" the Doctor added, raising his hand as he stood tall. "We both contain the knowledge of over nine hundred years of memory and experience, we both wear the same bowtie, which is cool."

"Because bowties are," Ganger Doctor added.

"And always will be," the Doctor grinned.

"You guys are so cute!" Olivia grinned, glancing between them.

"How can you be ok with this?" Amy wondered at her, making Olivia frown in wonder at Amy before shrugging.

"I dunno," she replied. "I've seen weirder things, I think. This just kinda gets me…excited and giddy."

"Now, Liv," the Doctor began.

"Be_have_," Ganger Doctor smirked, making her giggle as he winked at her.

"But how did the Flesh read you?" Amy wondered. "Because you weren't linked up to it."

"Well, it must've been after I examined it," the Doctor replied. "That's when the new, genuine Doctor was created."

"Ta-da!" Ganger Doctor cheered.

"Let the fun begin," Olivia grinned, biting her lower lip as she winked at the Doctor.

"Olivia! Please!" he groaned. "Leave the hormones in the TARDIS!"

"Why, when it's so much fun to tease you?" she smirked.

"No getting away from it," Amy cut in, making the three look to her. "One of you was here first."

"Well, ok, after the Flesh scanned me, I had an accident with a puddle of acid," the Doctor explained. "Now, new shoes. A situation which does not confront me learned self, here."

"That satisfy you, Pond?" Ganger Doctor wondered when she looked to him.

"Don't call me 'Pond,' please," she retorted, making the Doctors and Olivia frown at her in confused wonder. "What?"

"You feel more affection for him, than…him," Olivia noticed, pointing to the Doctor on her left then to the Ganger Doctor on her right.

"No, no," she tried to object, looking to the Ganger Doctor. "Look, you're fine, and everything, but he's _the Doctor_. No offense, being _almost_ the Doctor is pretty damned impressive."

"Being _almost_ the Doctor is like being no Doctor at _all_," Ganger Doctor retorted, defensively.

"Don't overreact," Amy shot back.

"You might as well call me 'Smith'!" he snapped.

"Smith?" she retorted.

"John Smith."

"Olivia, help me out here!" Amy pleaded.

"Sorry, you're on your own, Red," Olivia shrugged, dismissively before the panel lit up.

"Yes!" the Doctor cheered. "Communication: a go!"

"Find Rory!" Amy told Cleaves as she ran up to the panel, Ganger Doctor right behind her as Olivia remained behind the panel with the Doctor, watching them. "Show me the scanny/tracky screen." They stared at the screen as Cleaves worked on it. "Come on, Rory. Let's be having ya."

"There's no sign of him anywhere," Cleaves noticed, still working.

"Come on, come on, baby, show yourself," Amy pleaded.

"Let's see if we can't get word to the mainland while it tracks him," Cleaves reported, working at the panel before speaking into the microphone. "St. John's calling emergency Alpha. St. John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, Captain? Come in."

All they got was warbled feedback, making her shake her head.

"We'll never get a signal through the storm," she muttered before working at the panel again. "St. John's calling the mainland. Come in. This is urgent."

"_We're just about reading you, St John's_," the Captain on the other end of the line replied, making everyone sigh in relief. "_How are you doing? We've had all kinds of trouble here_."

"Request immediate evacuation," Cleaves called. "We're under attack. The storm's affected our Gangers. They're running amok."

"_Your Gangers?_"

"Yes, our Gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out."

Olivia frowned at her and opened her mouth to object, but the Doctor threw an arm around her to cover her mouth with one hand as he made eye contact with his Ganger.

"_Copy that, St. John's. Shuttles dispatched. Hang on._"

"You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac tower. And, Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following codeword. I'm typing it, in case they're listening in."

The Doctor lowered his hand from Olivia's mouth as his Ganger stepped toward the center of the room to pace.

"_Got it. We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh._"

"What do we do now?" Olivia whispered to the Doctor.

"We wait," he murmured. "And hope at least the Gangers come to their senses."

"I hope they do, too."

* * *

**A/N:** i think Olivia would toally enjoy having two Doctors around, as demonstrated, and she would treat them both equally, so everything still hangs on Amy as before. reviews?


	15. Real

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 15: Real**_

"We're gonna get out of here," Jimmy grinned up at Buzzer, patting his arm.

"Look, we're not leaving without them," Amy shot back from where she sat with the Doctor at the panel where he worked.

"I want them found, too, but it's about casualties, isn't it?" Buzzer replied. "It can't be helped."

Olivia stepped around the panel to head toward the Ganger Doctor, standing next to him as Amy scooted closer to the Doctor to watch him work on the panel.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked him.

"Making a phone call," he replied.

"Who to?"

"No one yet. It's on delay."

"Right, not getting it. Why, exactly, are you making a phone call?"

"Because, Amy, I am, and always will be, the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes…" He spun in his chair, "…the dreamer of improbable dreams." He grabbed Amy's chair and spun her around in it before turning back to the panel. "The wheels are in motion. Done."

Amy moved her chair to look at his Ganger as he stood with Olivia, stoic and very _not_ like the Doctor.

"You know, really there can be only one," Amy told the Doctor.

"Hm?" he hummed.

"Nothing," she sighed. "Carry on. Be amazing."

"Wow, she really doesn't like having two Doctors around," Olivia muttered as Ganger Doctor turned his back on them.

"Sh," he whispered gently, making her frown at him but he glanced over his shoulder at Amy as she stood, looking to the far wall in confusion. She suddenly jumped and gasped, making the Doctor turn in his chair, Ganger Doctor and Olivia glancing at her as well, all in concern as she turned to the Doctor then looked back at the wall.

"Amy?" the Doctor called with a frown. "What happened?"

She hurried toward the Doctor as Olivia frowned between all of them then looked to Ganger Doctor in wonder as they all listened.

"It's her again," Amy told the Doctor.

"It's who again?" he asked.

"There's a woman I keep seeing, a woman with an eye patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me."

"Did you know about that?" Ganger Doctor whispered to Olivia.

"Not a clue," she whispered back.

"Doctor?" Amy prompted.

"It's nothing," the Doctor replied.

"A lie," Olivia murmured so low only Ganger Doctor could hear her.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Amy shot back.

"It's a time memory," the Doctor explained. "Like a mirage. There's nothing to worry about."

"It's in my head," Ganger Doctor murmured, drawing everyone's attention him before shaking his head and stepping out the door.

"Hey, hold on!" Jimmy called as he stepped out.

"Don't go!" Cleaves snapped.

"No, leave it to me," Amy assured them, heading after him as Olivia frowned at the door before watching Amy head after him in surprise before turning to the Doctor and strolled toward him to sit in the chair Amy had vacated.

"I know what you're doing," she smirked, making him look at her with cool confidence as she narrowed her gaze at him.

"Do you?" he murmured and she nodded, hugely.

"Wanna know how I figured it out?" she smiled, making him nod and she held up her left hand to show off her Psychic Wedding Band. "The rings. One of you has one, the other doesn't. And my Highwayman would know better than to take his off."

He slowly frowned, making her frown back in wonder, but before she could ask what was wrong, all he murmured was, "Why?"

Olivia's frown deepened before she looked to the door when it was flung open and Amy stumbled in.

"Keep him away from me!" she snapped, making Olivia stand as Ganger Doctor followed Amy in, shutting the door as the girls switched places, Amy next to the Doctor, Olivia next to his Ganger.

"Did you sense it?" Ganger Doctor asked the Doctor.

"Briefly, not as strong as you," the Doctor confirmed.

"Sense what?" Olivia frowned, glancing between them.

"Amy, I'm sorry," Ganger Doctor said, remaining in the center of the room.

"No, ok? You keep away. We can't trust you," Amy shot back.

"Amy!" Olivia scolded, incredulously.

"You didn't see what I just saw!" Amy snapped back at her, making Olivia shrink back, slightly before looking to Ganger Doctor.

"It would appear I can connect to the Flesh," he reported.

"You _are_ Flesh," Amy shot back.

"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through, what it needs."

"What _you_ want. You are it."

"Amy, shut your trap before I shut it _for_ you," Olivia snapped, meeting Amy's glare with one of her own.

"It's much more powerful than we thought," Ganger Doctor continued, trying to keep them from fighting as well as explaining himself. "Flesh can grow, correct?"

"Its cells can _divide_," Cleaves retorted.

He stepped closer to her to explain, "Well, now it wants to do that at will. It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge."

"I was right," Amy realized. "You're not the Doctor. You can't ever be. You're just a copy."

"Amy—!"

"It's alright, Liv," Ganger Doctor nodded to Olivia, seeing her rage glowing in her eyes and she bit her lip as she nodded and remained silent.

"Doctor," Cleaves chirped, making Ganger Doctor look to her. "It might be best if you stayed over there for now."

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor spoke up. "Hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. I'm him, he's me."

"Doctor, we have no issue with you," Cleaves conceded. "But when it comes to your Ganger…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Olivia ground out. "They're the same person!"

"Olivia, stop," Ganger Doctor told her again, meeting her gaze again. "Save it for something more important."

She gritted her teeth, folding her arms in front of her as her nostrils flared.

"You look like a bull ready to charge, Liv," the Doctor noted as his Ganger turned to sit on a barrel that Buzzer pulled up to have him sit where everyone could see him.

"I'm glad you think this is amusing, because right now, I'm disgusted with my own species," Olivia ground out before turning to pace behind the panel.

"Take a seat, mate," Buzzer entreated Ganger Doctor.

"Nice barrel," he replied, sitting on it. "Very comfy. Why not? Is this really what you want?"

Amy glared at him before turning to look at Olivia who still paced behind the panel. She stepped around the panel to be there when Olivia turned to head the other way. Olivia didn't falter as she only glared at Amy, turning to pace again.

"You weren't there," Amy told her. "I thought he was gonna hurt me."

"You know him better than that," Olivia snarled, lowly, still pacing.

"But it wasn't _him_," Amy argued.

"They're one in the same."

"They're _not_ the same!"

"Have you learned _nothing_ since you met him?!" Olivia shot back, stepping within an inch of Amy to shout in her face.

"Olivia!" the Doctor snapped from his chair, making Olivia step back, but she and Amy remained glaring at each other.

"_This is the shuttle_," the Captain's voice came from the panel. "_We're right above you but we can't get low enough. Gamma static could fry out NAV controls. Sit tight. We'll get to you. Just—_"

"Hello?' Jimmy called when he was cut off by feedback. "Can you hear me?"

Olivia watched the Doctor use his Sonic on Cleaves as the foreman sat next to him rubbing her head with a frown before Amy marched out from behind the panel.

"We've gotta find Rory," she insisted. "I'm gonna go out there."

"We could use the Sonic to track him," the Doctor advised, looking at the results from his scan. "Humans and Gangers give off slightly different signals. The Sonic needs to tell the difference."

"Oh, so the _Sonic_ knows Gangers are different, so the other Doctor is different, then," Amy reasoned.

"He _is_ the Doctor," Olivia ground out.

"Not to _me_," Amy shot back. "Unlike _some_ people, I can tell."

"Are you sure you're not prejudiced?" the Doctor smirked, trying to lighten the mood and keep the girls from coming to blows.

"Nice try," Amy smirked back at him. "But I know you, ok? We've been through too much. You're my Doctor, end of."

"Excuse me, _your_ Doctor?!" Olivia snapped, marching out from around the panel.

"You know what I mean," Amy replied.

"Olivia, go sit with my Ganger," the Doctor ordered when she stopped in front of Amy, sending both their gazes to him.

"What?" Amy frowned. "No. Don't let her near him!"

"Olivia, do as I say," the Doctor said, firmly. "Go sit with him."

Olivia nodded before stepping toward Ganger Doctor as he watched her approach. He took her hand to pull her to his knee, wrapping his arms around her waist as she perched on his knee.

"Least it makes him easier to share with River now," Amy blurted.

"Doctor, you better shut her up before that pretty face of hers gets reassembled!" Olivia snarled, moving to stand, but Ganger Doctor kept his arms firmly around her waist to keep her on his knee.

"Both of you, _stop_, now!" the Doctor snapped.

"Hey, there's a camera up," Buzzer noticed and all eyes turned to the TV screen on the panel. "We've got a visual."

Amy hurried toward it to stare at the screen, reporting, "That's Rory and Jennifer."

"They're heading for the thermostatic room," Cleaves noticed in confusion.

"Let's go get them," Amy told the Doctor, who responded by tossing his Sonic toward Olivia and his Ganger. Olivia caught the Sonic, giving him a wink before handing it to Ganger Doctor. "Hang on."

"You _can't_ let him go," Cleaves snapped. "Are you crazy?!"

"Am I _crazy_, Doctor?" the Doctor asked his Ganger.

"Well, you did once plug your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet," Ganger Doctor replied, making the Doctor smile proudly, but it instantly fell when he met Olivia's incredulous stare.

"You know what that could do to you, idiot?!" she snapped.

"He can't go rescue them," Amy insisted. "_I'm_ going."

"Do you know? I _want_ him to go," the Doctor replied, standing from his chair to meet Amy's gaze in a challenge. "And I'm rather adamant."

"I'm going with him," Olivia added, standing to let Ganger Doctor stand as well. "Since it seems _I'm_ just as unwelcome."

"Liv, stop it," the Doctor scolded her before nodding, "Good idea, though. Two great minds working together."

"Well, then, they'll need company," Buzzer spoke up. "Right, boss? It's fine. I'll handle it."

Olivia couldn't help but frown at his words, but Ganger Doctor only snapped his fingers, replying, "Thank you, Buzzer. It'll be alright. Liv and I will find him."

He took Olivia's hand and pulled her out the door, Buzzer right behind them.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, making him frown at her as he used the Sonic ahead to scan for life, still walking.

"What for?" he asked, looking ahead again.

"For all my yelling," she replied. "I probably sound like an old hag."

"It's not me you should apologize to for that," he told her. "You should be apologizing to Amy."

"I know," she muttered. "She's just being such a—"

The building shook, cutting her off as they were tossed to one side, hitting the wall and groaning in pain.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Buzzer wondered.

"Something's gone wrong," Ganger Doctor guessed. "We need to find them."

The building thrashed again, making them stumble as they tried to head down the hall, but this time they went at a run, the Doctor holding onto Olivia's hand, tightly.

"It's getting something," he reported as they hurried into an open area.

"Human?" Olivia wondered.

"Yeah, it's human, but it's fading, it's fading!" the Doctor replied before they stopped and he scanned the Sonic around. "This is bad. Fading is very…bad."

"Doctor, there!" Olivia called, pulling him to his left toward a body and she knelt in front of her. "It's Jennifer!"

"The signal's gone," he reported, kneeling next to Olivia. "She's…dead. She was hanging on to the edge of life, but she just…_just_ slipped away."

"Jennifer," Olivia shuddered, feeling tears come to her eyes. "We're so sorry. She's been out here for hours. You can feel it on her skin."

"But if the real Jen's been lying out here…" Buzzer mused.

"Oh, my God," Olivia gasped, looking to the Doctor. "Rory!"

She screamed and jerked back when Buzzer used his flashlight to hit the Doctor over the head, knocking him out and she stared wide eyes at him in angry confusion.

"What are you doing?!" she snapped.

"Sorry, but it's boss' orders," he replied, meeting her disbelieving gaze. "Us and them, isn't it?"

"And what about me?" she ground out defiantly. "You gonna knock me out too?"

"No, you get to come back with me," he replied.

"Not a chance," she retorted, shuffling toward the Doctor's unmoving body. "I'm gonna stay here with him and make sure he's alright. If you've killed him, I'll hunt you down later."

Buzzer watched her sit herself near the Doctor's head to look him over before heading back toward the door they'd come out of. She felt at his head to make sure he wasn't bleeding then leaned her ear next to his mouth to make sure he was breathing. When his breath fanned her ear she sighed in relief and gently shoved his head.

"Idiot," she muttered, then froze when she heard footsteps coming toward them. She looked up with wide eyes to see the Gangers of Cleaves, Jimmy and Dicken in acid suits, making her swallow nervously. "We came out here looking for Rory and Jennifer, not you."

Before they could respond the Doctor shifted and groaned, opening his eyes wide and looking up at her.

"Hello, Liv," he grinned, but she only looked back to the Gangers in front of them, making him look up at them as well and ask, "Got anything for a sore head?"

"This is how they'll always treat us," Ganger Cleaves told him. "Do you see now? After all, you're one of us, Doctor."

"Call me Smith," he sighed, finding the Sonic and tucking it into his jacket. "John Smith."

"What about her?" Ganger Jimmy asked, nodding to Olivia as Ganger Doctor sat up then stood, pulling her with him by the arm.

"Bring her with us," Ganger Doctor replied through a smirk, making her frown at him in confusion. "She'll make a nice hostage, don't you think?"

"What?!" Olivia snapped before he shoved her toward Gangers Jimmy and Dicken who caught an arm each on her to drag her struggling behind Gangers Doctor and Cleaves who led the way until they reached a fork in the trail.

Ganger Cleaves went one direction as Ganger Jimmy and Ganger Dicken dragged Olivia with them in another direction, Ganger Doctor marching ahead toward the dining hall. Once they stepped through the plastic draped over the doorway, Gangers Jimmy and Dicken shoved Olivia inside, making her stumble before she turned to Ganger Doctor pacing a feet steps away from her.

"What the hell's the matter with you!" she snarled, charging at him and she was about to pound on his chest but he grabbed her wrists and shoved her down so that her back hit the table they stood next to, allowing him to loom over her as she met his gaze with her wide-eyed stare. "Theta…why are you doing this?"

He said nothing as she swallowed against the lump of fear in her throat as she stared at his glare before he ground out, "Ring-ring."

She frowned in utter confusion but before she could question him he stood tall, pulling her with him and shoving her away from him as Gangers Jimmy and Dicken remained behind him.

"Let me go!" Rory shouted, making her look to the doorway to see Jennifer shoving Rory into the room with Ganger Cleaves following right behind them and he frowned up at Olivia. "Olivia? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, good," Ganger Doctor hummed. "Another hostage. Love a hostage."

"A _what_?" Rory snapped, stepping toward Olivia and wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.

"They're all Gangers," Olivia explained, glancing between all of them as Jennifer smirked at them.

"You created another Ganger just to trick me," Rory snapped at Jennifer. "You tricked me. When I found you, you were both Flesh and you _tricked_ me into trusting you!"

"Rory, what happened?" Olivia questioned, turning to face him as he shuddered. "Where are the others?"

"They're locked in the crypt with the acid," he choked. "The Doctor said this whole building's gonna go up. I'm sorry, Olivia. I didn't know."

Olivia said nothing as her heart raced in panic and they both turned glaresto the Gangers.

"Jen's dead," Rory shuddered then roared, "Isn't she?!"

"She's gone, Rory!" Ganger Doctor shot back. "Gone."

"_Shuttle_," a voice came of the PA, making everyone stop to listen. "_We're dropping down on our approach. Stand by for evac._"

"The humans will be melted, as they deserve and then the factory will be destroyed," Jennifer explained. "Once we get to the mainland, the _real_ battle begins. The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor." She snapped her fingers with a cute smile, adding, "Join the revolution."

"We've got to go and get them out," Rory realized and tried to make for the door but Ganger Doctor shoved him away, making him stumble back next to Olivia and stare at him in disbelief. "No way. Doctor, we can't just let them die."

Olivia frowned when he looked to his watch then said, "Ring-ring."

"Doctor!" Rory shouted, marching toward him again, but Ganger Doctor only shoved him back again.

"Ring-ring!" he called again as Olivia took Rory's arm.

"Rory, don't," she told him, making him frown at her incredulously.

"But Amy and the Doctor—!"

"Just wait!" Olivia cut in.

The ground suddenly shook, making everyone stumble and Rory tried to make a run for the door, but Olivia pulled on his sleeve. "Listen to me, Rory! Stay here!"

The telephone in the room suddenly rang, making everyone frown in wonder.

"Ah, that'll be the phone," Ganger Doctor grinned, making Olivia smile in relief, seeing him come back to his usual Doctor self. "Somebody get the phone. Jimmy! Get the phone. No. Fine. _I'll_ get the phone. Stay put."

They all watched him march toward the phone, and use his Sonic on it before a hologram of a little boy in his pajamas came up.

"Ha!" Ganger Doctor called. "Hello! Adam! I'm the Doctor. Well, other Doctor. Or Smith. It's complicated and boring. Anyway, who cares? It's your birthday."

"_Yay!_" Adam cheered.

"Yay!" Ganger Doctor cheered back, and Olivia couldn't help but give a small giggle. "Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed."

"_Yes, __really__ high_," Adam replied.

"I expect chocolate for breakfast," Ganger Doctor instructed. "If you don't feel sick by mid-morning you're not doing it right. _Now_, I think you want to speak to your dad."

"_Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!_" Adam replied, excitedly as Ganger Doctor turned to Ganger Jimmy, who stared back in terror. "_Daddy?_"

"You'll do, Jimmy," Ganger Doctor said, turning to him and heading toward him. "What does the other Jimmy matter now, you're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting."

"_Daddy_," Adam called and the building rumbled. "_Daddy, what's that rumbly noise? What's going on, Daddy?_"

Ganger Jimmy turned and bolted out of the room.

"_Daddy?_"

"You tricked him into an act of _weakness_, Doctor," Jennifer snapped at him.

"No, I've helped him into an act of _humanity_," Ganger Doctor argued, calmly. "Anyone else like the sound of that? 'Act of humanity'?"

"I do," Olivia smirked, drawing his attention to her and she gave him a wink.

"Dicken," Ganger Cleaves called. "Drain the acid well in Crypt One."

"Don't you dare!" Jennifer demanded as Ganger Dicken ran to fulfill his order.

"I've had it with this!" Ganger Cleaves snapped. "What's the point in this ridiculous war? Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid. Look at you now…the stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters."

"You can't stop the factory from melting down…_boss_," Jennifer retorted. "I'll take revenge on humanity, with or without you."

"Why does it have to be about revenge?" Olivia questioned her. "It can be about _equality_!"

Jennifer only rolled her eyes and turned to march out, making Olivia sigh in exasperation before looking back to Ganger Doctor.

"Now what?" she wondered.

"_Daddy_," Adam called, still on the hologram call. "_Where's my daddy?_"

They all looked to the door when they saw movement, Ganger Jimmy coming back in and heading straight for the hologram, followed by the others. Rory instantly headed toward Amy, and Olivia hurried toward the Doctor to hug him, tightly.

"I'm glad you're safe," she whispered as he hugged her in return.

"Me too," he murmured, making her giggle before she pulled away and turned to watch Jimmy speak to the hologram.

"_Daddy, it's me!_" Adam cheered, making Jimmy laugh.

"Hey, Sunshine," he grinned. "What are you up to?"

"Where's the original Jimmy?" Olivia asked the Doctor and he shook his head solemnly, making her heart clench in sadness as she instantly understood.

"_Opening all my presents,_" Adam answered.

"Ha, ha, good lad," Jimmy smiled. "You have fun today. And remember, your dad…he loves you very, very much."

"_When are you coming home?_" Adam wondered the Ganger Doctor stepped up behind Jimmy.

"Daddy's coming home _today_, Adam," he smiled.

"_Yay!_" Adam cheered and did a little dance, making Jimmy laugh as Olivia couldn't help but giggle before her gaze went to Ganger Doctor when he whirled around to face everyone.

"Now we need to move," he announced.

* * *

**A/N:** Olivia and Amy fighting...if we let that go on that could get _really_ bad, lol! reviews?


	16. Amelia

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 16: Amelia**_

They all raced down the halls as the alarm blared, the Doctors holding a hand each on Olivia as they dragged her ahead of everyone, but when they made a turn they stopped dead at seeing Jennifer standing at the end of it. She started growing and mutating into…they didn't know what, but it was becoming bigger.

"Run," one Doctor ordered, but they all stared at Jennifer.

"Run," the other Doctor agreed, and they all turned.

"_Run_!" Olivia shouted as the two Doctors dragged her back again and they all ducked into a room, shutting the door behind them.

"Ooh, the roof's gonna give!" the Doctor noticed as he stood in a corner, staring at the ceiling, the other Doctor standing near the door.

"This door doesn't lock," Ganger Dicken realized as he and Dicken held it shut.

"No, but the far one does," Dicken replied, opening the door and heading back out. Ganger Dicken watched him but a moment later they heard a door slam and he shouted in agony.

"No!" Ganger Dicken shouted before closing the door, knowing there was nothing he could do as one Doctor stepped to the door to help him hold it, the other Doctor still staring at the ceiling.

"Here she comes," he hummed, making Olivia frown, but when the ceiling rumbled she grabbed onto his arm and gave a short, startled scream when the TARDIS came through the roof and landed with a thump.

"Oh! She does like to make an entrance!" the Doctor called from the door with Ganger Cleaves and Dicken before Jennifer slammed against the door, trying to get in. Rory headed for the TARDIS when Olivia opened the door with a grin.

"Liv, get her started," the Doctor nearest her called. "Everyone, move!"

Olivia ran in and started operating the console as Dicken ran in, soon followed by Cleaves.

"What the…?" Dicken murmured, looking around in awe.

"Oh, my God, this thing is—"

"Save that line for when the Doctor gets here," Olivia cut Cleaves off as she hurried back down the stairs to the entrance, adding as she passed her, "He loves hearing it."

"Now's our chance!" Amy said as she, one of the Doctor's and Ganger Cleaves remained at the door where Olivia caught up with the other Doctor and Rory.

"I have to stay, hold this door closed, and give you time to dematerialize," he argued.

"Oh, don't be crazy!" Amy ground out. "What happens to you?"

"Well, this place is just about to explode, but I can stop her," he replied.

"_Both_ of you can survive, this, ok?" Amy insisted as the Doctor, Rory and Olivia hurried toward the door to see what the hold-up was. "There has to be a way."

"Or perhaps you think I should stay, instead," the other Doctor replied, stepping in front of them. "Mr. Smith."

"No, of course not," Amy objected. "But look, this man, I've flown with him, you know? And you are amazing, and yeah, I misjudged you. But you're not…_him_. I'm sorry."

"Amy we swapped shoes," the Doctor at the door told her, making her eyes shoot to him before looking back at the Doctor standing in front of her.

"I'm the Doctor," he explained.

"And I'm the Flesh," Ganger Doctor replied from behind her before the wall shook again from Jennifer trying to get in.

"You can't be," Amy breathed, turning to the door. "_You're_ the real him."

"No, I'm not," he replied. "And I haven't been all along."

"What?" Amy wondered, glancing between them, her mind reeling.

"_I'm_ the original Doctor, Amy," the Doctor said again. "We had to know if we were treated the same. It was important…_vital_, we learn about the Flesh and we could only do that through _your_ eyes."

"What about her?!" Amy questioned, gesturing to Olivia before asking her, "You knew all along, didn't you?"

"I didn't know just by looking at them, Amy," Olivia replied, calmly and honestly. "The only way I could tell them apart was the rings. The Flesh took his off, the Doctor didn't. That's the only detail _I_ would've spotted, but no one else. They needed _your_ eyes, not mine."

Amy stared at her for a moment, taking everything in before looking to Ganger Doctor and hurrying toward him, hugging him tightly as he hugged her in return.

"I never thought it possible," Amy told him.

"What?" he frowned, neither one letting go.

"You're twice the man I thought you were," she replied.

"Push, Amy," Ganger Doctor whispered. "But only when she tells you to."

Olivia frowned when they let each other go and the wall shook again when Jennifer slammed against it.

"Amy, come on!" Rory called, making Amy turn and run toward the TARDIS as Olivia remained with the Doctor.

"Well, _my_ death arrives, I suppose," Ganger Doctor realized, casually.

"But this one we're not invited to," the Doctor replied, making Olivia shoot wide eyes at him in disbelief.

"Later," he told her before pushing her toward his Ganger. "Say goodbye to him."

She stared at him before turning to Ganger Doctor and hugging him tightly as the Doctor still spoke to his Ganger.

"Your molecular memory can survive this, you know," he assured him and Ganger Cleaves as he pulled his Sonic from his jacket. "It may not be _the end_."

He tossed his Sonic to Ganger Doctor, which he caught with one hand as Olivia still clung to him.

"Yeah, well if I turn up to nick all your biscuits, then you'll know you were right, won't you?" Ganger Doctor smirked before Olivia pulled away to look up at him.

"You're gonna need this," she whispered, pressing her mouth to his and kissing him deeply, her heart breaking before she pulled away and whispered, "For luck."

"I love you," he murmured. "My girl. My Liv."

"Come on, Liv," the Doctor called, and she placed another quick kiss to his lips before turning and rushing toward the TARDIS, the Doctor following her.

"Doctor! No!" Amy called, wanting to save both Doctors, but they all stopped when Ganger Cleaves didn't follow them.

"You, too, Cleaves," Ganger Doctor told her. "Off you pop."

"I'm staying," she replied.

"This is not the time for grand gestures!"

"Says the King of Grand Gestures! This is my factory. I'm not going anywhere."

"Foreman Miranda Cleaves!" Ganger Doctor retorted before pressing a kiss to her head. "Marvelous. Beware of imitations."

"Clear off out of here, the lot of you!" she shouted at the four watching them, making them turn and hurry into the TARDIS.

Olivia and the Doctor ran toward the console to dematerialize out of the factory, and Amy stepped toward Olivia as she worked.

"I'm…sorry," she said, making Olivia look up at her in surprise before smiling.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied, turning back to the console. "We're good."

"Yeah," Amy nodded, making Olivia glance up with a smile before Amy glanced to the Doctor. "I-I told him…"

"I know," Olivia cut in, glancing to the Doctor as well. "You thought you were talking to his Ganger. He knows now, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"He's very quiet," Amy noticed, making Olivia look up at him again to see him leaning on the console, lost in thought.

"I got it," she murmured, stepping around the console to stand next to him, staring at him before she placed her hand on his arm, whispering, "Theta?"

He looked at her and instantly came back to his senses.

"The energy from the TARDIS will stabilize the Gangers for good," he announced to everyone. "They're people now."

"And what happens to me?" Cleaves wondered, then pointed to her head. "I still have this."

"Ah! That's not a problem!" the Doctor replied, leaning down under his console to search for something. "I have something for that. It's…It's small, red, and it tastes like burnt onions!" He stood when he found a vile of red liquid and tossed it to Cleaves. "But it'll get rid of your blood clot."

"Happy endings," Olivia grinned as the Doctor leaned over to pull a red balloon attached to the console, making her giggle as he grinned at her.

* * *

_A Beach in Scotland..._

Olivia hugged the Doctor's arm as they watched Jimmy greet his son, holding two red balloons they'd given him. She looked to the Doctor with a smile, but his returning smile wasn't as happy as she'd seen it before.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Amy told me," he replied, making her swallow, but she kept his gaze. "I invited you all…to my death?"

"Yeah," she choked, then sniffled, "That was why we were so surprised to see you at the diner. We saw the older you…die."

The Doctor sighed before pulling his arm from hers to hug her with it, setting his cheek on her head and murmuring, "I'm sorry you had to see that, Liv. No wonder you got so cross when I tried asking you questions."

"Well, the cat's out of the bag," she sighed. "Where to next?"

"We have to drop off Cleaves and Dicken," he replied, kissing her head before taking her hand to lead her back toward the TARDIS. "We'll talk…_much_ later."

Olivia frowned at him in wonder but she had no time to question him before they'd reached the TARDIS and they soon landed in the Morpeth Jetsan building. The four followed Cleaves and Dicken out and toward the double doors with press and media behind them.

"Do you really want us to do this?" Cleaves wondered.

"Your company is telling the world that the situation is over," the Doctor began. "But you need to get in there and tell them that the situation has only just begun. Make them understand what they're doing to the Flesh, make them stop."

"Dicken, remember that people are good," Olivia smiled. "Deep down we are truly good. Don't hate us."

"How can I hate you?" Dicken wondered. "I'm one of you now."

"Yeah, and just remember, people died. Don't let that be in vain," the Doctor added. "Make what you say in that room count."

"Ready?" Cleaves asked Dicken as they stepped toward the door. "Side by side."

"You got it, Boss," Dicken smiled back before they stepped through the doors and the Doctor rubbed at his chin as Olivia frowned up at him, sensing something was wrong.

"You ok?" Amy wondered, seeing it as well.

"I said breathe, Pond, remember?" the Doctor replied, making them both frown at him. "Well, breathe."

"Why?" Amy demanded, fed up with the mystery.

"Breathe," he said again.

Amy suddenly doubled over in pain, making Rory and Olivia step closer to her and Rory looked to the Doctor.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded.

"Come on, we need to get her into the TARDIS," Olivia urged, holding onto one of Amy's arms as she gasped in pain, Rory helping her as well.

"Doctor!" he called when they stepped inside, Olivia shutting the door behind them as the Doctor stopped at the console. "What is happening to her?"

"Contractions," the Doctor replied, leaning on the console as Olivia stared at his back in disbelief.

"Contractions?" Roy echoed.

"She's going into labor," the Doctor confirmed.

"Did he say…?" Amy breathed as Rory held her waist, trying to comfort her. "No, of course he didn't. Rory…I don't like this. Ow."

"You're gonna have to start explaining some of this to me, Doctor," Rory called.

"What, the birds and the bees?" he retorted as Olivia ran up the stairs toward him. "She's having a baby. I needed to see the Flesh in its early days. That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. I was gonna drop you off for fish and chips, first, but things happened and there was stuff and shenanigans. That's a beautiful word…shenanigans."

"Theta, she's in pain and your word play isn't helping," Olivia ground out, making him turn and look to Amy.

"Breathe," he told her, making Olivia rush toward her again. "I needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh."

"What signal?" Amy questioned.

"The signal to you," he replied.

Olivia frowned in thought before realization hit her and she stared up at the Doctor in horror. He nodded to her, making her look to Amy with the same wide eyes.

"What?" Amy asked her with a frown before looking to the Doctor. "Doctor?"

"Stand away from her, Rory," the Doctor told him.

"Why?" Rory demanded as Olivia stepped around Amy to take Rory's arm. He yanked his arm from her to wrap both of them around Amy. "No! And why?"

"Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can, but I need to do this and you need to stand away!" the Doctor snapped.

"Rory," Olivia murmured, tears welling in her eyes as he looked to her with a frown. "You need to trust him, like we've always trusted him. Step away."

She took his arm as Rory glanced between them, realizing she was right and letting her pull him back from Amy, slowly.

"No," Amy breathed, trying to hold onto his hand but it fell away from hers when Olivia pulled him out of reach and Amy stared at Rory incredulously before turning to the Doctor.

"Doctor, I am _frightened_," Amy shuddered, tears in her eyes. "I'm properly, properly scared."

"Don't be," he told her, stepping closer to touch her cheek. "Hold on. We're coming for you, I swear. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will _find_ you."

"I'm right here," she breathed, taking his hand in both of hers.

"No, you're not," he replied, stepping back again and pulling his hand from hers. "You haven't been here for a long, long…time."

Olivia gripped Rory's arm tightly as the Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and aimed it at Amy. Rory gasped when he snapped it open, wanting to run to Amy and protect her, but he knew he couldn't.

"No," Amy breathed before the sound of the Sonic filled the room and Amy dissolved into a pile of Flesh on the floor.

"_Amy_!" Rory shouted, running from Olivia's grasp to kneel beside the pile, shuddering with sobs. "Amy, no."

Olivia looked to the Doctor and saw his own pain as he lowered the Sonic and turned to the console, slamming a lever down and starting up the TARDIS.

"What are we gonna do?" Olivia shuddered, making Rory look up at him in wonder as well.

"We are going to find Amelia Pond."

* * *

_Somewhere in Deep Space..._

"Intruder, Level Nine," the Cyberman reported as it and two other Cybermen stood at a computer in the center of the control room. "Seal Level Nine."

"And he'll only keep going," Olivia smirked as one of them held her arms behind her back, restraining her.

The ship thrashed, making the Cyberman holding her stumble and release her, and she shoved it away.

"Intruder Level Eleven. Seal Levels Twelve, Thirteen and Fourteen. Intruder Level Fifteen."

Olivia ran for the door as the ship thrashed again, and she pulled her Sonic Screwdriver from her jacket as she ran.

"Prepare to engage," the Cyberman announced as they all stepped toward the door and Olivia used her Sonic on the door into the control room to open it.

The door slid open and to reveal Rory in his Centurion armor as Olivia stepped back when he marched in, the Cybermen aiming their guns at him.

"I have a message and a question," he announced, his voice full of command as Olivia stepped next to him. "A message from the Doctor…and a question from me: Where…is…my…wife?"

The Cybermen were silent as they stood with their guns still drawn on him.

"Oh, don't give me those blank looks," he retorted before strolling toward the window to his left, Olivia following, her Sonic at the ready to disable their guns if she needed to. "The Twelfth Cyberlegion monitors this entire quadrant. You _hear_ everything. So you tell me what I need to know. You tell me _now_, and I'll be on my way."

"What is the Doctor's message?" the lead Cyber questioned.

Olivia aimed her Sonic at the Cyberman and made a shooting sound, imitating the recoil of a gun as the Cyberlegion outside…exploded, ship by ship.

"Would you like me to repeat the question?" Rory retorted.

* * *

_In the TARDIS..._

"Where to now?" Olivia asked the Doctor as they ran around the console.

"London!" he replied, hitting a lever. "1888. Need Silurians on our side."

"Nice," Olivia grinned, flipping a few switches. "And then?"

"A Sontaran."

"And then?"

"Some more clever people. Just fly the TARDIS."

Olivia giggled before the TARDIS came to a halt and he went to the scanner to punch in the coordinates for the next place. Several moments later there was a knock on the door and the Doctor ran toward it to open it with a grin.

"Madame Vastra," he greeted, letting the Silurian in as Olivia turned to see her. "And Jenny! How are you?"

"Wow, you guys brought a lot," Olivia smirked, eyeing the swords strapped to Vastra and Jenny.

"From what I remember, we're going to need it," Vastra smirked.

"Right! Onwards to the Battle of Zaruthstra!" the Doctor cheered, operating the console with Olivia. "Need to get Commander Strax."

The TARDIS thrashed once, making Olivia roll her eyes and sigh before flipping some switches and the ride smoothed.

"What did you do?" he frowned, watching her.

"Something River showed me," she smirked, making him glare at her comically before the ship shuddered to a halt.

A loud explosion went off outside, making the TARDIS shudder before Olivia turned a wide-eyed stare at the Doctor.

"Well, I said it was a battle," he replied, running to the door to open it as Rory came down the stairs, still in his Centurion outfit.

"What's going on?" he wondered, glancing to Vastra and Jenny. "Who are they?"

"Madame Vastra, Jenny, meet Rory," Olivia introduced, working on the console. "Rory, Vastra and Jenny."

"And Commander Strax!" the Doctor cheered as a Sontaran marched in, the Doctor shutting the door behind him.

"This place has never been so full!" Olivia grinned, running around the console as the Doctor sailed up next to her.

"Alright, we need to get Dorium Maldovar and one more!" he announced.

"Who's the 'one more'?" Rory wondered.

"The most diabolical, the most clever, the most feared person in the known universe," the Doctor replied.

"River Song," Olivia guessed, making him stop and purse his lips.

"Yes," he muttered, making her smirk before they operated the TARDIS to a halt again. "Olivia, Rory, go get her, yes? I'm gonna go pick up Dorium."

"Yes, Sir," Olivia replied, giving a salute as she and Rory hurried toward the door.

Rory opened the door for her and they stepped out into the hall of the Storm Cage, heading toward her cell. The TARDIS dematerialized just as they found River in winter Victorian clothes, sauntering in their direction.

"Oh," she smiled. "Are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos."

"Doctor Song," Rory called as he and Olivia stepped out of the shadows. "It's Rory and Olivia."

Olivia frowned when River said nothing and looked astonished to see them.

"Sorry, h-have we met yet?" Rory wondered. "Timestreams…I'm not quite sure where we are."

"Yes," River replied, stepping closer to them. "Yes, we've met. Hello, Rory."

"River, what's wrong?" Olivia wondered as Rory frowned at her.

River glanced between them before finally recovering herself and replying, "It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge."

"Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?" Rory frowned in wonder.

"Yes, he did," River grinned. "But you must never tell him."

"Sounds heavenly," Olivia smiled. "And you look amazing."

"Thank you, Olivia," River grinned, stepping toward her to hug her tightly.

"We've come from the Doctor, too," Rory explained as River stepped back.

"Yes, but at a different point in time," River nodded.

"Unless there's two of them," Rory joked.

"Now, that's a whole different birthday," River smirked, making Olivia slap a palm to her face.

"Always around me," she sighed before River patted her shoulder then turned toward her open cell as she pulled her diary from the muff she held to look at it.

"He needs you," Rory told her and she closed her book again.

"Demons Run," she replied, making Rory glance to Olivia but she only watched River closely.

"How…how did you know?" Rory asked River as she turned to them again.

"I'm from his future. I always know. Why on Earth are you wearing that?"

"The Doctor's idea," Rory replied of his outfit.

"Of course," River smirked. "His rules of engagement: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

"Look ridiculous," he added.

"Have you considered heels?" she teased.

"They've taken Amy," he explained, trying to stay on topic. "And our baby."

"The Doctor's gathering everyone to go after her, but he needs you, too," Olivia explained, stepping closer to her.

"I can't," River breathed, making the two stare at her in shock. "Not yet, anyway."

"I'm sorry?" Rory sneered and Olivia placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"This is the battle of Demons Run," River explained. "The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further…and I can't be with him till the very end."

"Why not?" Rory demanded.

"Because this is it," she replied before turning to head into her cell. "This is the day he finds out who I am."

Olivia swallowed as Rory frowned in wonder but said nothing for a moment before Olivia broke the silence.

"Rory, go back to the TARDIS," she murmured. "If he's not there, wait for him. He was gonna pick up Dorium…something or other."

"What are you—?"

"Just go, Rory, please?" Olivia cut in, gently as she looked to him and he sighed through his nose before heading down the hall.

"Olivia, you won't convince me to go with you," River warned her.

"I know," Olivia replied, meeting her gaze. "That's not why I'm here. I need to know what to expect. Tell me so I can be there for him."

"Oh, Mrs. Sigma," River smiled, warmly. "You don't need to know what to expect to be there for him. You and I both know it." She reached through the bars and Olivia took her hand, both holding on tightly. "You've always been there, for the both of us…every time. Be there for him when I can't."

Olivia swallowed and nodded before patting River's hand and turning to head after Rory. She was greeted with the sight of the Doctor leaning out the TARDIS door, frowning at her.

"Where's River?" he instantly questioned as she passed him and headed for the console and he shut the door, following her. "Olivia. Where's River?"

"She's not coming," she finally replied, glancing to the huge, blue man standing off to the side as Rory sat on the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS.

"What do you mean she's not coming?" the Doctor demanded, stepping next to her as she operated the console.

"She said she can't," Olivia replied again in an even tone. "Let it go, Theta."

He set his jaw as he eyed her and stepped closer to murmur, "What aren't you telling me?"

"A lot," she retorted, looking up to meet his gaze. "You're gonna have to trust me on this." She turned back to the console and slammed a lever down. "Now let's go get Amy."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	17. Melody

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 17: Melody**_

"He is _not_ the devil," Colonel Manton announced to his Clerics of Demons Run, surrounded by men in hoods. "He is not a god. He is not a goblin or a phantom or a trickster. The Doctor is a living, _breathing_ man, and as I look around this room, I know one thing: We're sure as hell gonna fix that."

"Yes!" they all cheered.

"On this day, in this place, the Doctor _will_ fall."

"Hooah!"

"The man who talks, the man who reasons, the man who lies, _will_ meet the perfect answer."

"Hooah!"

"Some of you have wondered why we have allied ourselves with the Headless Monks. Perhaps you should've wondered why we call them Headless. It's time you knew what these guys have sacrificed for faith."

The three monks on the platform with him stepped to center stage as Colonel Manton stepped to one side.

"As you know, it is a Level One heresy, punishable by death, to lower the hood of a Headless Monk. But, by the divine grant of the Papal Mainframe herself, on this _one_ and only occasion, I can show you the truth."

He stepped back down the platform to the monk on the far right.

"Because these guys never can be…" Colonel Manton lowered the hood of the monk to reveal no head, but a neck that was twisted off, "…persuaded. They _never_ can be…" He lowered the next monk's hood, "…afraid. And they can never, ever be…"

The next monk lowered his head on his own, grinning, "Surprised!"

The crowd gasped as the Doctor stepped around Manton to laugh and grin, "Hello, everyone! Guess who! Please…point a gun at me, if it helps you relax."

All the Clerics cocked and aimed their guns at him, the Headless Monks readying their swords that were charged with electricity.

"You're only human," the Doctor added.

"Doctor, you will come with me right now," Manton ordered, holding his handgun to his head as he turned to him.

"Three minutes, forty seconds," he smirked. "_Amelia Pond_! Get your coat!"

He flipped his hood back over his head just as the lights went out and the room was thrown into darkness. A moment later the lights returned, the Doctor gone from the platform and Manton glanced around the room.

"I'm not a phantom," the Doctor announced from somewhere they couldn't see.

"Doctor?" Manton called.

"I'm not a trickster."

"Doctor?"

"I'm a monk."

"Doctor, show yourself!"

"It's him!" one of the Clerics shouted below pointing his gun at a monk. "He's here! It's him!"

The monks ignited their swords, causing the Cleric to shoot him.

"Weapons down!" Manton shouted. "Do not fire!"

It was too late. One of the monks shot a burst of energy at one of the men, sending him to the ground. The monks began attacking the Clerics until Manton spoke up again.

"Do not fire! Nobody discharge their weapon in this room. Nobody! Do not fire. Stop…wait. Listen to me. I am disarming my weapon pack." Manton pulled the pack from his weapon and raised them both separately in the air. "Monks, I do this in good faith. I am now unarmed." He set his pack down at his feet. "All of you, discharge your weapon packs. The Doctor is trying to make fools of us. We are soldiers of God. We are not fools."

The Clerics began discharging their weapons, causing the monks to lower their swords as the Clerics shouted, "We are not fools."

"Well, you may not be fools," Olivia smirked, stepping next to Colonel Manton who turned to her in shock as she placed her foot over his weapon's pack. "But you are _certainly_ surrounded."

Manton looked around the room to see his Clerics surrounded by Silurians and the Judoon, appearing from nowhere.

"This base is now under _our_ command," Strax told him, holding a gun toward Manton as he stepped up next to Olivia.

"I have a fleet out there," Manton warned them. "If Demons Run goes down, there's an automatic distress call."

"Not if we knock out your communications array," the Doctor announced from the PA system. "And you've got incoming."

"_Danny Boy to the Doctor. Danny Boy to the Doctor_," a man called over the PA.

"Give 'em hell, Danny Boy!" the Doctor permitted.

The asteroid shook as the spitfires attacked, then Danny Boy reported soon after, "_Target destroyed_."

"Liv, Strax…bring him in," the Doctor told them over the PA.

"With pleasure," Olivia grinned, lifting her foot from the pack on the floor.

Manton dove for it, shoving it into his gun but Olivia aimed her Sonic at it, making it spark and he cried out in pain as it fell from his hand.

"Very well done, boy," Strax commended Olivia, making her frown at him in wonder.

"Thank you, Commander," she replied as Manton cradled his hand and Strax stepped closer to him.

"No more tricks, or you will be vaporized," he ordered. "Follow the boy."

"Girl," Olivia corrected when Manton frowned at him. "Me."

She turned and led the way to the control room, Strax keeping his weapon aimed at Manton's back.

"All airlocks sealed," Strax announced as they stepped into the room where Vastra, Dorium and the Doctor waited. "Resistance neutralized."

"Sorry, Colonel Manton, I lied," the Doctor said as Manton stepped to the middle of the room, Olivia stepping next to the Doctor where he sat in the control chair. "Three minutes, forty-_two_ seconds."

"Colonel Manton, you're gonna give the order to withdraw," Olivia told him.

"No…Colonel Manton," the Doctor corrected. "_I_ want you to tell your men to run away."

"You what?" Manton ground out.

"Those words: 'Run away.' I want _you_ to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Colonel Run Away. I want children laughing outside your door because they found the house of Colonel Run Away." He stood from his chair to step within an inch of Manton. "And _when_ people come to you and ask if trying to get to me through the people I love is in any way, a good idea…I want you to tell them your name."

He glanced to Olivia with a smile as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Oh, look, I'm angry. That's new." He looked back at Manton to tell him, "I'm really not sure what's going to happen now."

"The anger of a good man is not a problem."

Olivia shot her gaze to the door to see a woman in a black pantsuit with an eye patch, guarded by two Silurians.

"Good men have too many rules," she continued.

The Doctor slowly turned to her, replying, "Good men don't need rules."

Olivia watched carefully as the Doctor stepped toward her.

"Today is not the day to find out why I have so many," he warned, staring her down.

"Give the order," she permitted, her tone dripping with venom but it didn't lessen everyone's surprise, including the Doctor's, that she'd given in so easily. "Give the order, Colonel Run Away."

The Doctor smirked at her before stepping away to take Olivia's hand and pull her back down the hall.

"Strax, Vastra, take care of this," he ordered.

"Where are we going?" Olivia wondered, stumbling behind his march.

"We're going to find Amy and Rory," he explained, turning a corner. "By now he's got the baby and found Amy. We just have to make sure they're all ok."

"Hey," Olivia called, making him stop and whirl on her with wide eyes. She smiled and stepped closer to place a hand over his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. "You were…amazing, my love."

He grinned and straightened his bowtie, saying, "I was, wasn't I?"

"You _always_ are," she smiled.

"You weren't so bad yourself, darling," he smiled fondly, lifting a hand to move some hair from her face. "But next time, let Strax vaporize the person pulling the gun on you."

"Hey! I thought that was a good move!"

"It was," he conceded with a nod before turning to drag her down the hall again. He searched the doors down the hall before stepping closer to one and it opened, revealing Amy and Rory in a white room at the bottom of a set of stairs.

"Ew," he sneered when they stepped through. "Crying _and_ kissing. We'll…we'll be back in a bit."

"Doctor!" Olivia scolded, blocking his exit.

"Oi, you," Rory called, turning to the door. "Get in here, now."

Olivia pulled him through the door this time and headed down the stairs to hug Amy as the Doctor grinned down at the baby in Rory's arms.

"My daughter," Rory introduced as Olivia leaned down and gently touched her little hand with her finger. "What do you think?"

"Hello," the Doctor smiled. "Hello, uh…baby."

"Melody," Amy told them.

"Oh! Melody!" Olivia smiled, fondly. "I love it!"

"Melody," the Doctor smiled. "Hello, Melody Pond."

"Melody _Williams_," Rory corrected him.

"Is a geography teacher," Amy shot back. "Melody Pond is a superhero."

"She's adorable," Olivia grinned, gently playing with her tiny hand then frowned at the Doctor when he leaned over and took in a long, loud sniff before standing tall.

"Well, yes, I suppose she does smell nice," he spoke to Melody. "I never really sniffed her. Maybe I should give it a go. Amelia Pond, come here." He hugged her as she laughed. "Sorry we were so long."

"It's ok," Amy replied as the Doctor smelled her hair then pulled away. "I knew you were coming. Both of you. Our boys, right Olivia?"

"And now, Melody's boys," Olivia agreed as the baby cooed.

"It's ok, she's still all yours," the Doctor told Melody. "And really, you should call her Mummy, not Big Milk Thing."

"Ok, what are you doing?" Amy asked as she, Rory and Olivia frowned up at him.

"I speak baby," he replied, casually, and Olivia couldn't help but smirk, proudly before turning her attention back to Melody.

"No, you don't," Amy argued.

"I speak everything," he retorted. "Don't I, Melody Pond?"

She made a little sound, making Olivia giggle.

"No it's not," the Doctor responded, straightening his bowtie. "It's cool."

They all laughed as Melody made another little noise.

"Why yes, she _is_ pretty, _and_ she smells good, too," the Doctor smiled.

"Who's she talking about now?" Rory asked, humoring him.

"She's talking about Olivia," the Doctor answered.

"Aw, thanks Melody," Olivia smiled down at her. "You're quite the looker too."

"Doctor!" Vastra called, coming into the room and gripping the railing at the top of the stairs as she stared at the window overlooking the base. "Take a look. They're leaving. Demons Run is ours, without a drop of blood spilled. My friend, you have never risen higher."

Olivia and Rory looked to each other before looking to the Doctor as he stood at the window, Olivia swallowing as her stomach turned with anticipation. She'd had a feeling it was all too easy.

"What's that look for?" the Doctor asked Olivia, stepping up to her with a frown and she shook her wide-eyed stare away to smile brightly.

"Nothing," she lied, wrapping her arms around one of his as he frowned at her.

"You're lying," he murmured in realization and she swallowed but still smiled.

"Well…I learned from the best, didn't I?" she teased, giving him a playful nudge, but even Amy and Rory could feel the weight of her words as they glanced between them, but Olivia diverted them. "Shall we head to the TARDIS? I bet Melody wants to see it!"

"Y-Yeah," Amy nodded, reaching out to Rory to take Melody, and he handed her over, carefully.

The Doctor and Olivia led the way as Vastra headed back to the control room. He glanced at her every now and then as she clutched his arm tighter and tighter with each step they took. When they reached the TARDIS he pulled his arm from her grip, making her frown up at him in wonder.

"Keep a lookout, darling," he smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'll only be a minute with Amy."

Olivia nodded as Amy came up behind her and the Doctor helped her step up into the TARDIS as Rory remained outside as well.

"Madame Vastra said—"

"Yeah," Olivia cut Rory off when she reached him. "I heard her. I _knew_ it was too easy."

"What do we do?" Rory wondered as they heard the TARDIS warbling and the engines running, but it remained in its spot.

"There's nothing we _can_ do," she sighed. "This has to happen however it's gonna happen. We can't change anything."

They turned back to the TARDIS when they heard Melody crying and Amy came back out, shushing her and trying to calm her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rory asked her as she approached.

"She doesn't like the TARDIS noise," Amy explained. "I asked him to turn something off, but it was all, 'But I don't wanna punch a hole in the space-time continuum.'"

"Olivia," Jenny called, drawing their attention to her as she approached with Strax. "The Judoon have escorted the Clerics out of the quadrant, the spitfires have returned to their own time, Captain Avery and his men are—Is she alright?"

"She's just crying," Olivia replied of Melody, waving it off.

"Give her to me, human fools!" Strax snapped. "She needs changing!"

"I just changed her," Amy replied as they all looked at him warily. "I think she might need a feed."

"A feed," Strax replied. "Of course. I'll take care of everything."

"Uh…" Rory hummed, stepping up to him. "I don't think you will, actually."

"I have gene-spliced myself for all nursing duties," Strax retorted, then slammed a hand onto his chest, saying, "I can produce _magnificent_ quantities of lactic fluid!"

"Oh, that was way too much info for me," Olivia blanched.

"She's not hungry, she's _tired_," the Doctor called, coming out of the TARDIS carrying a wooden cot with a solar system attached to it and he set it down on one of the crates. "Sorry, Melody, they're just not listening."

"What's this, Melody?" Amy smiled.

"Very pretty, according to your daughter," the Doctor smiled.

"It's a cot," Rory replied.

"No flies on the Roman," the Doctor muttered making Rory frown at him.

"Give her to me," Olivia grinned, reaching for Melody with grabby hands, making them all laugh as Amy handed her over.

"But where would _you_ get a cot?" Rory wondered to the Doctor as Olivia rocked Melody for a moment.

The Doctor watched Olivia with Melody, making her frown up at him and meet his fond gaze.

"What?" she smiled, making him shake his head.

"Nothing," he smirked before Olivia gently placed Melody in the cot.

"It's old," Amy noticed of the cot. "_Really_ old. Doctor, um, do you have children?"

"No," he replied, tucking Melody into the cot then glanced up at Olivia to murmur, "Not _yet_…anyway."

Olivia's eyes shot wide and she wanted to hug him so tightly but she only grinned instead, and Amy continued her questioning since she hadn't heard him.

"Have you _ever_ had children?" she wondered and Melody made her little baby noises.

"No, no, it's real," he replied to Melody. "It's my hair."

Amy and Olivia giggled as he touched his hair before Amy continued.

"Who slept in here?" she wondered.

"_Doctor, we need you in the main control room_," Vastra called of the PA.

"Be right there!" he called back then told Amy and Rory, "Things to do. I've still gotta work out what this base is for. We can't leave till we know."

He took Olivia's hand and pulled her with him as he was about to head to the main control room but Amy followed them.

"But this is where I was?" Amy called, making them turn back to her. "The whole time I thought I was on the TARDIS, I was really here?"

"Um…Centurion, permission to hug?" the Doctor asked Rory who nodded.

"Be aware, I _do_ have a sword," he added, making the Doctor laugh before looking to Olivia.

"Wife, permission to hug?" he asked.

"Be aware, Rory has a sword," Olivia smiled with a nod, releasing his hand to let him hug Amy.

"You were on the TARDIS, too," he explained. "Your heart, your mind, your soul. But _physically_, yes, you were still in this place."

"And when I saw that face looking through the hatch," Amy asked. "That woman looking at me?"

"Reality bleeding through. They must've taken you quite a while back, just before America."

"That's probably _enough_ hugging now," Rory warned.

"Yeah, have to agree with Rory," Olivia chimed in, as the Doctor stepped back from Amy and Olivia took his arm.

"So, her Flesh avatar was with us all that time?" Rory guessed as they crowded around Melody again. "But that means they were projecting a control signal right into the TARDIS, wherever we were in time and space."

"Yeah, they're very clever," the Doctor replied.

"Who are?" Olivia wondered.

"Whoever wants our baby," Rory guessed.

"But why do they want her?" Amy wondered.

"Exactly," the Doctor replied.

"Is there _anything_ you're not telling us?" Rory asked him, making the Doctor smile at him. "You knew Amy wasn't real. You never said."

"Well, I couldn't be sure they weren't listening," the Doctor explained before heading again toward the hall leading to the main control room.

"But you always hold out on us," Amy recalled, stopping him again and turning to them. "Please, not this time. Doctor, it's our baby. Tell us _something_. One little thing."

"It's mine," he replied, making Olivia look up at him with a wide-eyed frown.

"What is?" Rory asked.

"The cot," the Doctor replied, pointing to it as Olivia let out a silent sigh of relief. "It's my cot. _I_ slept in there."

He turned and this time made it to the hall leading to the main control room.

"Shame on you, Olivia Felton," he scolded playfully, making her frown up at him.

"What—?"

"You thought I was talking about Melody when I said that."

"Well, can ya blame me when you say it like _that_?"

"Liv, you know I'd never do that to you."

"I know," Olivia sighed. "It's just my insecurities spilling out. Now I know how you felt when it was me and Jack."

"_Finally_," he sighed, making her nudge him, playfully as they rounded into the control room and he asked Dorium, "You've hacked into their software, then?"

"I believe I sold it to them," Dorium retorted, working at the controls.

"Ooh! So what have we learned?" the Doctor asked, slinging his arm around Olivia's neck to pull her close.

"That anger is always the shortest distance to a mistake," Vastra replied, making him turn a frown to her.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"The words of an old friend. Who once found me in the London underground attempting to avenge my sisters on perfectly innocent tunnel diggers."

"Well, you were very cross at the time," he replied.

"As you were today, old friend," she observed. "Point taken, I hope."

Olivia hugged his chest and he hugged her in return before Vastra continued.

"Now, I have a question," she replied. "A simple one: Is Melody human?"

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor shot back then chuckled. "Of course she is. _Completely_ human. What are you talking about?"

"They've been scanning her since she was born," Dorium explained as Olivia released the Doctor and stepped next to Dorium to look at the screen. "And I think they found what they were looking for."

"_Human_ DNA," the Doctor observed, stepping up to Olivia and Dorium to look at the screen as well.

"Look closer, my love," Olivia as he stepped next to her. "She's human _plus_."

"Specifically human plus Time Lord," Vastra explained, making Olivia whirl on him with a glare.

"Now, Liv, don't look at me like that," he warned.

"What…did…you…do?" she ground out.

"Nothing!" he insisted, glancing between them. "She's human. She's Amy and _Rory's_ daughter."

"You've told me about your people," Vastra recalled. "They became what they did through prolonged exposure to the Time Vortex, the untempered schism."

"Over _billions_ of years," he reminded her. "It didn't just _happen_!"

"How much of a Time Lord is she?" Olivia questioned. "Can she regenerate?"

"_No_, no," the Doctor replied. "I don't think so."

"Sounding real sure there, dear," Olivia shot back.

"Because I don't understand how this happened," he admitted.

"Which leads me to ask _when_ did it happen?" Vastra asked, making him frown.

"_When_?" he echoed, making her sigh as Olivia giggled.

"I _am_ trying to be delicate," Vastra confessed. "I know how you can blush."

"And can't he?" Olivia couldn't help but smirk.

"When did this baby…begin?" Vastra asked again.

"Oh, you mean…?"

"When was she conceived?" Olivia blurted when he trailed off.

"Yes, _thank you_, Liv," he shot back, straightening his bowtie. "Well, how would I know? That's all humany, private stuff, it just sort of goes on. They don't put up a balloon, or anything."

"But could the child have begun on the TARDIS, _in_ flight, _in_ the Vortex?" Vastra wondered.

"No! No! Impossible! It's all running about, sexy fish vampires, and blowing up stuff. And Rory wasn't even _there_ at the beginning. Then he was dead, then he didn't exist, then he was plastic, then I had to reboot the whole universe. Long story. So, technically, the first time they were on the TARDIS together, in _this_ version of reality, was on their w—"

"Oh, god," Olivia groaned when he cut himself off.

"On their what?" Vastra prompted, glancing between them before the Doctor answered.

"On their wedding night."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	18. Human

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Human**_

"It doesn't make sense," the Doctor insisted to Olivia, Vastra and Dorium in the main control room. "You can't just cook yourself a Time Lord!"

"Of course not," Vastra sighed. "But you gave them one hell of a start and they've been working very hard ever since."

"And, yet, they gave in so easily," Dorium noticed. "Does this not bother anyone else?"

"Bothers me," Olivia blurted, raising her hand.

"Amy," the Doctor continued thinking aloud as Olivia Lowered her hand. "She worried the baby would have a time head."

"Only _you_ would ignore the instincts of a mother," Vastra retorted.

"Or the instincts of a coward," Dorium added.

"Or your _wife_," Olivia chimed in. "Dorium's got a point. Something's fishy."

"Why even do it?" the Doctor continued, ignoring all of them. "Even if you could get your hands on a brand new Time Lord, what for?"

"A weapon?" Vastra guessed.

"Why would a Time Lord be a weapon?" he questioned.

"Babe," Olivia called gently, making him look to her in wonder before she met his gaze and sighed, "They've seen _you_."

"Me?" he frowned as she stepped toward him.

"Mr. Maldovar, you're right," Vastra confessed as Olivia hugged the Doctor's chest and he reflexively wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hug her, deep in thought. "This _was_ too easy. We should get back to the others."

"Me?" the Doctor whispered again, making Olivia hug him tighter as the other two headed out of the room before he tried to look down at her and she looked up at him with her wide, jade gaze. "Am I…?"

"_I see you accessed our files_," the woman, Madame Kovarian, noticed as her face suddenly appeared on one of the computer screens, making them both jump and stare at it with wide eyes. "_Do you understand yet? Oh, don't worry. I'm a long way away, but I like to keep tabs on you. The child, then. What do you think?_"

"What is she?" the Doctor questioned.

"_Hope. Hope in the endless, bitter war._"

"What war? Against _who_?"

"_Against __you__, Doctor_."

"A child isn't a weapon!" Olivia nearly screamed at the screen.

"_Oh, give us time. She __can__ be. She __will__ be_."

"Except you've already lost her, and, I swear, I will never let you anywhere near her again," the Doctor shot back.

"_Oh, Doctor. Fooling you once was a joy, but fooling you __twice__ the same way…it's a privilege_."

The Doctor stared at the screen as Olivia frowned in wonder before her eyes widened in realization as she shot her gaze to him.

"Amy," he breathed before shooting toward the door, Olivia bolting after him.

_Demons run when a good man goes to war_

_Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war_

_Friendship dies and true love lies_

_Night will fall and the dark will rise when a good man goes to war_

_Demons run, but count the cost_

_The battle's won, but the child is lost_

"Amy!" the Doctor shouted as he came to a door at the end of the hall leading into the cargo bay where everyone was, using his Sonic to open the door. "Amy, she's not real! Melody…she's a Flesh avatar!"

It finally opened and he ran into the room, Olivia running after him, but they both stopped to stare around the room. Her hands went to her mouth to cover her gasp as she stared at all the dead monks on the floor before looking to Rory.

"Yeah," Rory replied solemnly. "We know."

Strax moaned in pain, leaning against a crate and Rory went to him to kneel next to him and examine his wounds

"It's strange," Strax strained in pain. "I have often dreamed of dying in combat. I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped."

"Come on, Strax," Rory urged. "Don't give up."

"It's alright. I've had a good life. I'm nearly twelve."

"Listen to me. You'll be back on your feet in no time. You're a warrior."

"Rory…I'm a nurse."

Olivia ran to Amy where she sat with Jenny who was comforting her, sitting on the other side of her to hug her shoulders as Amy stared into space, tears in her eyes. Olivia said nothing and only hugged her, knowing nothing she might say could make her feel any better. The Doctor approached, making Amy slowly look up at him as he stopped a foot or so away.

"So they took her anyway," she shuddered. "All this was for nothing."

"I am so…sorry," the Doctor breathed as she stood, tears streaming down her face as she cried, staring at him. He took a step toward her as Olivia remained on the crate with Jenny, but Amy moved back from him.

"Amy, it's not his fault," Jenny reminded her, and Amy only stared at the Doctor.

"I know," she finally replied before turning away and Rory hurried after her as she sobbed.

Olivia looked to him, seeing the pain in his expression at Amy's rejection of his attempt at comforting her, the lump in her throat growing until she felt she couldn't breathe.

"Doctor," Vastra called, drawing his attention to her where she stood past Rory and Amy. "There's someone who wants to speak to you. Her name is Lorna. She came to warn us."

He nodded and held a hand toward Olivia, making her glance up at him sadly before taking his hand to let him pull her to her feet and toward Lorna who was lying against a set of stairs. He used his Sonic scan her vital signs, kneeling next to her and looking to the results before rubbing his eyes. Olivia recognized that as a sign of defeat, and realized instantly that it wasn't good for Lorna.

"Hey, hello," he smiled when Lorna stirred and looked to him.

"Doctor," she breathed.

"You helped my friends," he still smiled. "Thank you."

"I met you once…" she whispered, weakly before wheezing in a breath. "In the Gamma Forests. You don't remember me."

"Hey, of course I remember," he assured her, shifting forward to gently cup her face in his hands, still smiling sadly as he saw tears running down her cheeks. "I remember everyone. Hey, we ran, you and me. Didn't we run, Lorna?"

Her head tilted to the side as her eyes slowly closed, letting out her last breath and Olivia couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks as the Doctor looked up at Vastra.

"Who was she?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but she was very brave," Vastra replied, sadly.

"We're always brave," Olivia murmured, making him look to her and she could see it in his eyes…he'd fallen to as far as River had said he would.

"So what now?" Vastra asked him. "They'd almost certainly have taken her to Earth, raise her in the correct environment."

"Yes, they did, and it's already too late," he replied, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her back toward the TARDIS as she frowned at him, incredulously.

"You're giving up?" she demanded, making him stop and turn to her. "You _never_ give up!"

"Yeah, and don't you sometimes wish I _did_?" he shot back, looming over her.

"Never," she breathed without hesitation. "It wouldn't be you if you did that."

He swallowed before throwing his arms around her to hug her tightly and she pulled him close in return as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"Sometimes…I wish I would," he murmured.

A bright light filled the room from behind him as thunder crashed, making her look over his shoulder but he didn't move or release her as her eyes widened at who she saw.

"Well, then, soldier, how goes the day?" River asked, making him pull back from Olivia and turn to her.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, marching toward River as Olivia remained where she was, watching. "Every time you've asked I have been there. Where the hell were you today?"

"I couldn't have prevented this," she replied.

"You could've tried," he growled.

"And so, my love, could you," she told him, calmly before looking to Rory and Amy. "I know you're not alright, but hold tight, Amy, because you're going to be."

"You think I wanted this?" the Doctor demanded of her, bringing her attention back to him. "I didn't do this! This wasn't _me_!"

"This was _exactly_ you," River retorted. "_All_ this, _all_ of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you _ever_ think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name. 'Doctor.' The word for 'healer' and 'wise man' throughout the universe. We get that word from _you_, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean?"

"In the Gamma Forests, 'Doctor' means…'Mighty Warrior'," Olivia recalled as River stepped around him, making him turn to see both of them staring intently at him.

"How far you've come," River resumed. "And now they've taken a child, the child of yours best friends, and they're going to turn her into a weapon just to bring you down. And all this, my love, in fear of _you_."

Olivia slowly stepped toward River when the Doctor strolled closer to her as well until he stopped to loom over her, staring her down.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, look, your cot! Haven't seen that in a _very_ long while," she smiled, backing up toward it, the Doctor following her steps and grabbing her hands as Olivia stepped up to the cot where they stopped.

"No, no, you tell me. You tell me who you are."

"I _am_ telling you," she insisted, taking his hand from her wrist to place it on the cot, making him look at it before she asked, "Can't you read?"

Olivia frowned and looked to the cot, following the Doctor's gaze inside it to see the prayer leaf Lorna had given Amy for her daughter. The symbols on it took some time to rearrange themselves in her mind before her eyes widened when she read a very familiar name on it. She looked to the Doctor just as he looked to River in wide-eyed disbelief, and River only smiled at him as he straightened. Olivia stepped around River to stare at her in awe and disbelief along with the Doctor.

"Hello," the Doctor smiled.

"Hello," River smiled back, making him giggle before Olivia hugged her tightly, not letting her go, even as she and the Doctor spoke.

"But…but that means—"

"I'm afraid it does," River finished with a grin when he cut himself off and he looked back at Rory and Amy before looking back at her as Olivia released her.

"Ooh, but you and I, we, we, we, we, uh—"

He made kissing faces at her as Olivia couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes," River hummed, making the Doctor giggle again before looking at Rory and Amy in worry then looking back at her to straighten his bowtie.

"How do I look, girls?" he asked, his chest puffed with pride, suddenly.

"Amazing," River grinned.

"Agreed," Olivia replied.

"I'd better be," he retorted.

"Yes, you'd better be," River nodded before he twirled around.

"Vastra and Jenny, till the next time," he told them then turned to Rory and Amy. "Rory and Amy, I know where to find your daughter, and on my _life_ she will be safe. River, get them all home. Come along, Felton."

He took Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the TARDIS, using the Sonic to lower the forcefield that had been placed around it as they ran after him.

"Where are you going?!" Amy demanded as Olivia stepped into the TARDIS followed by the Doctor who took a moment to marvel at River before stepping fully into the box and shutting the door.

"Incredible!" Olivia cheered as she operated the console.

"Amazing!" he grinned, hurrying up the stairs to operate it as well.

"Mind blowing!" she grinned back as she sailed up next to him.

"Unexpected."

"That was a twist I did _not_ see coming."

"Oh, by the way, how did you know about the Gamma Forests?" he wondered, crossing over to flip a switch in front of her.

"I met someone from there when I was at Torchwood," Olivia replied, heading toward the scanner. "She told me all about it. There was even a book on it."

"Of course. Should've known," he murmured, concentrating on flying. They worked in silence for a moment before the Doctor asked, "I have…several questions."

"And for once, _I don't_," she smirked back at him.

"River told you what would happen, didn't she?"

"She was her usual, vague self at the time, but…she told me you'd rise higher than you've ever been and fall much further."

"What else did she say?"

"Just to be there for you when she couldn't."

The Doctor stepped up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist as she still hung onto the scanner, looking it over, his chin on her shoulder.

"So…are you happy about my decision?" he wondered, making her frown before realization dawned on her and she grinned, but didn't move.

"Yes," she smiled then giggled when he nuzzled her cheek.

"One more question."

"Hm?"

"If _you_ saw my older version be killed in America…where was the older version of you?"

"Believe me, I'd feel a _whole_ lot better if I knew the answer to that, too." She turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck to bury her face in his chest. "Because if I wasn't there…does that mean—?"

"Stop, Liv. I know what you're thinking and you know I'd never let that happen."

"What if you can't stop it?"

"Stop."

Olivia nodded before lifting her head to look up at him and he smiled, warmly as he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning in his arms again to work on the console. "We should be looking for Melody."

"We know where to find her," he replied, pulling her back from the console by her waist and she squeaked in surprise as she tried to make a grab for it again, but he spun her around by her waist as she still faced away from him. "We've got time. All the time in the world, actually. It's a _time_ machine."

"You keep saying that, but then you get distracted or you get a date wrong and before you know it, twelve years have gone by," Olivia retorted, giving a shout when he twirled her around to face him.

"But this is like old times now," he smirked, leaving an Eskimo kiss to her nose and making her giggle. "You and me in the TARDIS. Just us. Anything could happen."

"Anything _has_ happened in _every_ room of the TARDIS," she smirked back.

"Oh, Olivia Felton," he smirked. "Not _nearly_."

"Bad boy!" she laughed, lightly hitting his arm before trying, half-heartedly to push away from him. "We have to find Melody! Get off!"

"Wait! We have to dance!" he insisted before stepping toward the console to flip a switch and the room was filled with a familiar tune. "Well, it's a marvelous night a moondance, isn't it, Liv?"

"It must be," she smirked before crying out in delight when he started dancing her around the console. "So…you saying you didn't have children yet…does that mean now is the right time for you and me to bring a little Sigma into the universe?"

"It'll be a little _Felton_, Liv," he replied, making her frown in wonder as they still danced but now a bit slower to speak. "It'll have to be fully human. That's the only way it could work."

"But…Melody is part Time Lord," she reminded him. "Why can't ours be?"

"That was different. It was two humans having a child that…began in flight in the Time Vortex. This would be a Time Lord and a human making a child. The DNA is all wrong."

"But you said my DNA is tweaked. Doesn't that mean it _could_ work?"

"Not tweaked enough, darling. It has to be human in order for _both_ of you to survive. We're too different. Your body would be in overdrive to help it grow, and if your body fails, we could lose it or there could be complications with the birth and _you_ could be lost, or neither one of you would make it. Fully human is the only way to go."

Olivia bit her lip as she took in his words and she nodded in understanding.

"Ok," she nodded. "But how would we do it?"

"I'm working it out," he assured her. "I have an idea that needs to be sorted through. In the meantime, we'll find Melody, sort her out, and have a few more adventures before then. What do you say?"

"Well, how can I say no to _that_?" she smirked, stopping their dance and throwing her arms around him to hug him close. "I love you, Theta."

"I love you, too, Liv."

* * *

_Three Months Later..._

Olivia sighed as she shoved her phone back into the pocket of her black skinny jeans as it vibrated from an incoming call. She flipped a switch on the console of the TARDIS as the Doctor looked to her around the cylinder between them.

"Who's ringing you?" he asked.

"Amy," she replied. "Who else? She's been calling the TARDIS phone, too, ya know?"

"I never answer my phone while driving," he replied as she went to the scanner to examine it.

"Three months now, and we haven't found her," Olivia reminded him. "Amy's gonna be mad at you."

"That might be another reason why I haven't answered my phone," he muttered as she frowned at the scanner.

"Hey, were there _ever_ any crop circles in Leadworth?" she asked, making him frown and hurry up next to her.

"No, why?"

"Because this one's got your name written _all_ over it…quite literally."

The Doctor frowned at the screen and gave a groan when he saw its screen before hurrying around the console again.

"Back to Leadworth. Let's see what they want."

He slammed a lever down and the TARDIS jostled, making Olivia laugh, excitedly.

"Allons-y!"

* * *

**A/N:** yes, i'm building towards them having a kid...but i think you already knew that. lol reviews?


	19. Mels

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Mels**_

Olivia sighed as she stepped out of the TARDIS and into a huge crop circle in a field of wheat, the Doctor right behind her and he held up a newspaper as Amy and Rory climbed out of their car, having just made the crop circle.

"Seriously?" the Doctor asked, pointing to the headline on the newspaper.

"A crop circle that spelled his name?" Olivia added, then asked again, "Really?"

"Well, you never answer your phone," Rory retorted, he and Amy shutting their doors and heading toward them. "_Either_ of you."

"Ok, you've have all summer," Amy said. "Have you found her? Have you found Melody?"

"Permission?" the Doctor asked Rory, handing Olivia the paper.

"Granted," he replied.

"Wife?" the Doctor asked Olivia.

"Agreed," she permitted, stepping toward Rory to hug him as the Doctor hugged Amy to speak to her.

"You know who she grows up to be," he recalled. "So you know I _will_ find her."

"But you haven't yet?" Amy realized, pulling back from him.

"Hang on," Rory muttered, making Olivia frown at him in wonder as they looked at the newspaper. "What's this bit?"

Olivia examined the picture of the crop circle with a line through 'Doct,' stopping at the second 'O' where they were.

"That wasn't us," Amy recalled.

The Doctor grabbed the newspaper and examined it as he stepped around the circle before finding the spot where the line would stop. Olivia, Amy and Rory crowded behind him, staring at the paper before hearing the loud rumble of an engine, and as the Doctor lowered the paper they stared at the red sports car barreling through the field toward them. They all screamed as it came to the clearing, charging toward them.

Amy and Rory were sent to the ground as the Doctor and Olivia tried to stumble away, but the car drifted, making the backend hit the Doctor, sending him to the ground as Olivia screamed, backing toward the TARDIS until her back hit a corner. The rear tire stopped an inch away from her, successfully pinning her between it and the TARDIS and she watched the young, gorgeous, black woman with long cornrows, a flowy dress and high boots climb out of the car to stand in front of the Doctor as he lay sprawled on the ground.

"You said he was funny," she smirked down at him. "You never said he was _hot_."

"Mels!" Rory called, making Olivia frown at her with wide eyes.

"Who?!" she squeaked.

"What are you doing here?" Amy questioned Mels.

"Following you. What do you think?" Mels retorted, as the Doctor pulled himself up using the car.

"Um, where did you get the car?" Rory snapped.

"It's mine," Mels shrugged as Olivia tried pulling herself out from between the two vehicles but remained stuck. They all stared into the distance when they heard sirens and Mels added, "Ish."

"Oh, Mels, not again," Amy muttered.

"You can't keep doing this," Rory scolded. "You're gonna end up in prison."

"Sorry," the Doctor called, glancing between them and saying hello to Mels before adding, "Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost. You never said I was hot?"

"_Really_?" Olivia snapped, shooting everyone's gazes to her. "_That's_ your question?!"

"Is that the phone box?" Mels asked, heading toward the TARDIS. "The 'bigger on the inside' phone box."

Olivia and the Doctor looked to Amy and Rory at the same time for an explanation as Mels leaned back on the TARDIS next to Olivia, still struggling to free herself. "Oh, time travel. That's just brilliant. Yeah, I've heard a lot about you. I'm their best mate."

"Then why don't _we_ know you?" Olivia ground out.

"Yeah, I danced with _everyone_ at the wedding," the Doctor added. "The women were all brilliant. The men were a bit…shy."

"I don't do weddings," Mels replied, stepping away from the TARDIS as the sirens came closer.

"Doctor!" Olivia snapped, making him jump and hurry toward her to help her out of her tight spot.

"And that's me, out of time," Mels sighed just as the Doctor pulled Olivia out of her spot. Mels turned to aim a gun at them, making them freeze as she cocked it and they both lifted their hands in surrender.

"Mels!" Amy screamed.

"For God's sake!" Rory shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Amy snapped.

"I need _out_ of here, now," Mels explained to them before looking to the Doctor and Olivia.

"Anywhere in particular?" the Doctor wondered, making Olivia glare at him.

"Well, let's see," Mels mused. "You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell? Let's kill Hitler."

"What?" Olivia blurted. "Did she just say—?"

"She's got a gun, Liv, let's just get in the TARDIS, eh?" the Doctor muttered, turning to open the door.

"You'll go up against a room _full_ of guns, but you're scared of a little _girl_ with a gun?" Olivia ground out as he opened the door.

"Oh, just…shut up and get in the TARDIS!" he snapped back, grabbing her hand and dragging her inside as Amy, Rory and Mels followed them in.

"Whoa," Mels breathed as she walked in and stared wide eyes around the control room. "This place is…_brilliant_!"

"Yeah, so would you mind putting the gun away, crazy lady?" Olivia shot back as she followed the Doctor up the stairs toward the console.

"Someone's at that time of the month, eh?" Mels smirked, sauntering around Olivia who gave her a glare as she helped the Doctor operate the console.

"Won't matter anyway," the Doctor cut in, seeing Olivia's glare burning at Mels and hurried to her side to place his hands on her shoulders to calm her as he continued, "The interior is in a state of temporal grace. Guns don't work."

Olivia frowned at him as they operated the TARDIS and Mels looked to her gun while Amy and Rory frowned at him as well.

"State of temporal grace?" Olivia frowned up at him. "Really?"

He placed a finger over his lips, making her roll her eyes at him.

"Mels! No!" Amy shouted just before a gunshot rang out and the TARDIS thrashed uncontrollably, sending everyone stumbling around the room as smoke billowed around them.

"You shot it!" the Doctor shouted, running toward the hole in the cylinder in the center of the console as Olivia pulled herself up to the console, trying to stabilize the ship. "You shot my TARDIS!"

"You shot the console, you twit!" Olivia shrieked at Mels as she held onto the railing of the stairs, the TARDIS still thrashing in flight.

"It's _his_ fault!" she shot back as he stumbled toward the railing and loomed over her as they both held onto it.

"How is it _my_ fault?!" he shouted before running back toward the console.

"You said guns didn't work in this place!" Mels shot back, Amy hanging onto the scanner, Rory hanging onto the railing around the console. "You said we're in a state of temporal grace!"

"That was a clever line, you idiot!" the Doctor shot back, pumping a lever on the console. "Anyone could tell that was a clever line!"

"Where are we?!" Amy shouted.

"That's the question of the day, Amy!" Olivia shot back as they all thrashed around the control room, the smoke filling it starting to choke them. "Doctor—!"

"I know—!" he coughed before slamming a lever down on the console and the TARDIS shuddered violently before finally coming to a stop.

They all hurried to the door, not caring where they'd ended up, and only caring about getting away from the smoke filling the room.

"Out, out, out!" the Doctor ordered as they stumbled out of the TARDIS. "Everybody out! Don't breathe the smoke. Just get out!"

"Where are we?!" Amy demanded as they all coughed, not noticing the two other men in the room.

"A room!" the Doctor replied.

"Well, what room?!" Rory coughed.

"I don't know what room," the Doctor retorted as Olivia noticed Mels nearing the TARDIS. "I haven't memorized every room in the universe yet. I had yesterday off."

"Mels! Get away!" Olivia shouted, running toward her to pull her away from the door of the TARDIS, taking the gun from her in the process.

"Bad smoke," the Doctor called, shutting the door. "Don't breathe the bad, bad smoke! Bad, deadly smoke, because somebody shot my TARDIS!"

Mels marched away from them, rolling her eyes as Rory and Amy hurried toward the man they finally noticed lying on the floor.

"Doctor, this guy, I think he's hurt," Rory called, examining him as the Doctor stepped toward him, Olivia frowning when she noticed his uniform and not going near him when she recognized it. "No, hang on. No, he's fine."

"Liv! Why do have a gun?!" the Doctor demanded, grabbing it from her and sneering at it before stepping toward the desk to the left of his TARDIS. He placed it in the fruit bowl just as the man ducked behind the desk stood, Olivia realizing something as she looked to the man on the floor and hurrying toward the Doctor.

"Ooh! Hello!" the Doctor told the man whose face he'd yet to see. "Sorry, is this your office?"

"Doctor," Olivia called as Amy and Rory stood to head toward them, Mels remaining on the other side of the room.

"Had a sort of collision with my…vehicle," the Doctor explained as the man stood tall and they all looked to him. "Faults on _both_ sides. Let's say no more about…" He trailed off when the man turned and straightened himself out, making Olivia swallow and Amy gasped as the Doctor resumed, "…it."

"Is that…?" Amy questioned as they all stared at him. "No, it can't be, Doctor?"

"Thank you, whoever you are," Hitler nodded as Olivia's jaw dropped. "I think you have just saved my life."

Olivia and Rory looked to the Doctor as he and Amy stared at Hitler in disbelief.

"Believe me," the Doctor replied. "It was an accident."

They all watched him look to the TARDIS before stepping toward it, asking, "What is this thing?"

"What did he mean, we just saved his life?" Amy asked the Doctor as she and Rory stepped in front of him and Olivia. "We could _not_ have just saved Hitler."

The Doctor gritted his teeth before whirling around to glare at Mels, snapping, "You see? You see? Time travel. It never goes to plan."

"Darling, while I do enjoy the fact that you are more _angry_ at this girl than attracted to her, need I remind you that _Hitler_ is near the TARDIS?" Olivia ground out as she sailed up next to him, making him frown at her before turning toward the TARDIS where Hitler stood.

"This box," Hitler began. "What is it?"

"It's a police telephone box from London, England," the Doctor replied, glaring at him as Olivia watched him closely. "That's right, Adolf. The British are coming."

"Doctor! Look out!" Olivia called, seeing the other man stand from his place on the floor and Hitler looked terrified.

"No! Stop him!" Hitler called, drawing his gun and aiming it at him.

"Doctor!" Olivia shouted before she was shoved to the ground when Hitler shot at the man several times. Rory punched Hitler in the face, sending him to the ground before he grabbed the gun and aimed it at Hitler when he sat up and stared at Rory with wide eyes.

"Sit still, shut up," Rory ordered, cocking the gun as Amy tried to help the man that had been shot at, and Olivia stared up at Mels who'd shoved her to the ground.

"Are you ok?" Amy asked the man as she tried to help him.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," he replied as Olivia stood, still watching Mels. "I think he missed."

"He was going to kill me!" Hitler told Rory of the man.

"Shut up, Hitler!" Rory snapped, still holding the gun at him.

"Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there," the Doctor ordered, gesturing to the closet he spoke of. "Now, do it."

"Right…putting Hitler in the cupboard," Rory muttered, lifting the gun away from him and taking his arm to pull him toward the cupboard.

Olivia stepped toward Mels had an arm wrapped around her stomach as Hitler reminded Rory of his rank but Rory only shut the door in Hitler's face as the Doctor stepped toward the other man to question him, but he only fainted.

"Mels?" Amy called, drawing their attention to her as Olivia only watched Mels.

"Hitler," she breathed.

"What about him?" the Doctor asked.

"Lousy shot," Mels blurted before her knees gave out and Olivia caught her to help lower her to the piece of wall the TARDIS had blown into the room.

"Mels!" Amy called as the other three ran toward her, seeing her gunshot wound.

"We gotta stop the bleeding," Rory instructed, trying to examine her.

"How bad is it, Rory?" Amy questioned him as he worked. "What can we do?"

"Just keep her conscious," he instructed. "Stay with us, Mels!"

"Hey, look at me," the Doctor told her when it looked like she was ready to pass out and she looked up at him. "Just hold on."

"I used to dream about you," Mels panted through a weak smile. "All those stories Amy used to tell me."

"What stories?" the Doctor asked her, trying to keep her awake. "Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a belter."

"When I was…little," she breathed. "I was gonna marry you."

"Good idea. Let's get married. You stay alive and I'll marry you, deal? Deal?"

"Shouldn't you ask my parents' permission?"

"As soon as you're well, I'll get them on the phone."

"Might as well do it now. Since they're right here."

Everyone's eyes shot wide as Olivia looked to the Doctor in realization, and he only glanced between Amy and Rory when they looked to him in wonder.

"Penny in the air," Mels murmured before lifting her hands as they emitted a familiar golden glow. "Penny drops."

"What the hell is going on?" Rory demanded as Olivia grabbed his arm and the Doctor did the same on Amy, pulling them to their feet.

"Get back!" Olivia called as they pulled them toward the desk and Mels stood, staring at her hands in awe. "We need to get back! Now!"

"Last time I did this I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York," Mels recalled as the glow intensified.

"Ok, Doctor, Olivia, explain what's happening, please," Amy demanded.

"What's Mels short for?" Olivia asked, knowingly.

"Melody," Mels nodded.

"Yeah, I named my daughter after her," Amy confirmed.

"You named your daughter…after your daughter," the Doctor guessed as they all kept their eyes on Mels on the other side of the room.

"It took me years to find you two," Mels breathed. "I'm so glad I did. You see? It all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all."

"_You're_ Melody?" Amy breathed.

"But is she's Melody, that means that she's also—"

"Oh, shut up, dad," Mels strained, cutting Rory off. "I'm focusing on a dress size."

She threw her head back as her arms shot to either side of her and she screamed in pain as energy burst through her. Amy, Rory and the Doctor ducked and looked away but Olivia stared at the regeneration in terror.

"No…" she breathed, making the Doctor look up at her, but he hadn't heard her. "No, not again."

She jumped just as Mels jerked her head forward with a gasp and shuddered…but she didn't look like Mels anymore.

"Right, let's see then," River sighed as Amy, Rory and the Doctor turned to look at her, Olivia staring at her in awe as she examined herself. "Ooh! It's all going on down there, isn't it?"

She lifted her hands to her head to feel at her outrageously curly hair.

"The hair!" she grinned, running to the mirror on her left to look at herself. "The hair! It just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that! Everything changes! Oh, but I love it! I _love_ it!" She spun around and smirked that familiar smirk as she added, "I'm all sort of…_mature_."

"What…the…hell?" Olivia blurted.

"Hello, Benjamin," River smirked, lifting a leg to lean it on the overturned couch next to her, but Olivia noticed her other hand duck behind the arm of the chair on the other side of her.

"Who's Benjamin?" Olivia questioned as Amy and Rory stared at her in shock and the Doctor covered his eyes before looking back at her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as River tapped her teeth together.

"The teeth. The teeth, the teeth," she breathed, touching her teeth before turning and running toward the Doctor, pinning him between herself and the desk and Olivia couldn't keep her glare from burning a hole in River's head. "Oh, look at them! Watch out, that bowtie."

"_My_ bowtie for the moment," Olivia ground out as River turned around, but kept the Doctor pinned on the desk.

"Excuse me, you lot. I need to weigh myself," River said, glancing between the three before running toward the door on the right and Olivia didn't fail to notice the Doctor first cross his legs then uncross them and place his hands in his lap as Rory and Amy sat on either side of him.

"That's…Melody," Amy blurted, still in shock.

"It's River Song," Rory added.

"Who's River Song?" River asked, peeking into the room as they looked at her.

"Spoilers," Olivia replied.

"Spoilers?" River questioned. "What spoilers? Hang on…just something I have to check."

"Does anybody else find this day just a bit difficult?" Rory wondered after River hurried out of the room again and Olivia raised her hand in agreement. "I'm getting a sort of banging in my head."

"Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard," Amy replied.

"That's not helping," he retorted.

"Hitler in a cupboard…that's funny," Olivia snickered.

"This isn't the River Song we know, yet," the Doctor reminded them, as they all stood in unison and Olivia stepped next to him as they all began pacing with him. "This is her, right at the start. She doesn't even know her _name_."

"Oh! That's _magnificent_!" River called, making them all turn, warily just as she reentered the room, grinning, "I'm gonna wear _lots_ of jumpers."

"Oh, that's definitely her," Olivia muttered.

"Well, now, enough of all that," River said, pulling Hitler's gun from behind her back and aiming it at the Doctor, casually adding, "Down to business."

"Oh, hello," the Doctor greeted as Amy and Rory stared on in confusion and Olivia reached into her jacket for her Sonic. "I thought we were getting married."

"I _told_ you, I'm not a wedding person," River replied, stepping toward the desk to stand directly in front of the group, still aiming her gun at them.

"Doctor, what is she doing?" Rory questioned.

"What she's _programmed_ to," the Doctor replied, calmly.

"And where did she get the gun?" Rory wondered.

"Hello, Benjamin," Olivia realized, recalling her hand ducking behind the arm of the chair she'd been standing near.

"You noticed," River smirked before pulling the trigger several times, but nothing happened as Amy and Rory ducked, the Doctor and Olivia only watching her.

"I noticed, too," the Doctor smirked, and Olivia realized he must have unloaded the gun at some point. "As soon as I knew you were coming, I tidied up a bit."

"I know you did," she smirked, reaching into her vest, presumably for the second gun she'd brought with her.

"I know you know," he retorted as he stepped closer to her and she pulled out a banana to aim it at him instead of the gun, still in the fruit bowl.

"Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?" River sighed as the Doctor took the banana.

"Why? Are you busy?" he wondered.

"Oh, I'm not complaining," River retorted, whirling around to grab the letter opener on the desk, but when she turned back Olivia stepped forward and aimed her Sonic at River's hand, sending the letter opener out of it as it sparked with its hum.

"If you were in such a hurry why didn't you try to kill him in the cornfield?" Olivia questioned.

"We'd only just met," River replied, turning to the desk again as the Doctor walked back toward Amy and Rory as they watched the scene and Olivia remained where she was. "I'm a psychopath. I'm not rude."

She reached forward and grabbed the gun from the bowl on the desk and aimed it at him, pulling the trigger. Amy and Rory ducked as Rory screamed, but the Doctor held up the magazine for her gun, full of bullets.

"You are _not_ a psychopath!" Amy argued then asked the Doctor. "Why would she be a psychopath?"

"Oh, mummy, mummy, pay attention," River replied, dropping the useless gun and circling the Doctor as he circled her in return. "I was trained and conditioned for one purpose: I was born to kill the Doctor."

"Demons Run," the Doctor reminded Amy. "Remember? This is what they were building…my bespoke psychopath."

"I'm all yours, Sweetie," River murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"Only River Song gets to call me that," he replied.

"And who's River Song?"

"An old friend of mine."

"Stupid name," River retorted, turning toward the window they'd crashed through and stepping toward it, grabbing Olivia's arm on the way.

"What—?!"

"Look at that," River gasped, climbing up to the sill, still gripping Olivia's arm, and she struggled as the Doctor moved closer to the both of them. "Berlin, on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart." River smirked to Olivia who stared at her in wide eyed confusion. "Now that's _my_ kind of town."

"Let her go," the Doctor warned as River turned to the three.

"Mum, dad, don't follow me and, yes, that _is_ a warning," she told them, ignoring the Doctor's call.

"What about me?" Olivia ground out, still trying to pull away from River's grip, but it was tighter than she expected.

"You're coming with me, darling," River smirked. "Designated hostage."

"No warning for me, then?" the Doctor called, drawing their attention to him.

"No need, my love," River replied. "The deed is done…and so are you."

Olivia shot her gaze to the Doctor as he took a step toward them, but began sinking to the floor, making Amy and Rory help him stand.

"Doctor!" Olivia called, trying to rush toward him but River kept a grip on her arm. "Get off me!"

"What have you done?" the Doctor questioned, gripping at his chest. "River."

"Oh, 'River, River, River,'" River groaned. "More than a friend, I think." She looked to Olivia, adding, "Too bad for you."

"What have you done to him?!" Olivia snarled in her face, but turned a wide-eyed stare to the Doctor when he gasped in pain and fell to the floor.

"It was never going to be a gun for you, Doctor," River replied. "The man of peace, who understands every kind of warfare except, perhaps, the cruelest."

"No!" Olivia cried when he touched his lips, both realizing it was River's kiss, and Olivia struggled harder to be free of River's grip.

"Kiss, kiss," River mocked, blowing him a kiss as he strained against the poison now running through his veins. River jumped down from the window sill, dragging Olivia with her, even as she struggled and screamed on the way down.

"_Doctor_!"

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	20. River

**A/N:** sorry for the screw up! knew that was gonna happen sooner or later! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 20: River**_

Olivia growled in pain as she rolled to her side after landing on her feet on the ground below the awning she and River had jumped down from. She quickly got to her feet and tried to run back into the building to help the Doctor, but River grabbed her arm before she could pass her. Olivia instantly began struggling, but she was only dragged her toward the group of soldiers at the entrance. They all aimed their guns at them just as Olivia yanked her arm from River's grip.

"Hello, boys," River grinned, stopping in front of them.

"What are you doing here?" the higher ranking solder questioned.

"Well, we were on our way to this gay, gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought, 'Gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish. I think I'll kill the Fuehrer.'" River retorted, making Olivia stare at her in wide-eyed shock before looking back at the group of soldiers. "Who's with me?"

"Shoot them," the high-ranking officer ordered, lowering his gun and stepping behind his men.

River shoved Olivia to the ground, making her grunt as she landed and she threw her hands over her head when she heard gunfire in their direction. When it stopped, River still stood and Olivia rolled onto her back to stare up at her as she looked up at the men, her hands over her stomach.

"Tip for you all," River smirked. "Never shoot a girl while she's regenerating."

She stood and a burst of energy launched the men to the ground as Olivia covered her face, but was soon dragged to her feet by River, the men scattered around them, unconscious.

"Now _that_ hit the spot," River smirked as she grabbed their guns and slung them over her shoulders, giving Olivia two of them as well as she pulled her toward one of the motorbikes. "You're driving. Thanks, boys! Call us!"

"What are you doing?!" Amy called as she and Rory had climbed down after them, Olivia reluctantly straddling the bike as River climbed on behind her.

"New body, new town…we're going shopping," she replied before Olivia revved the engine and drove off.

"Where the hell are we going?!" Olivia shouted over the sound of the engine.

"Keep going straight!" River replied. "I'll tell you when to stop!"

They drove until River finally tapped Olivia's shoulder and they came to a stop in front of an official looking building. River climbed off and grabbed Olivia's arm to drag her off as well, pulling her toward the door and Olivia stared huge eyes at all the officers and their wives having a formal meal in a huge room. River wasted no time in grabbing the guns slung over her shoulders, aiming them at the ceiling and firing at it, making everyone in the room panic and duck under their tables.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't have a thing to wear," River called as Olivia stood, stunned next to her before she aimed the guns at everyone in the room, ordering, "Take off your clothes."

To Olivia's utter astonishment, everyone began obeying and soon they hurried out of the room in a panic. River gave a girlish giggle before aiming a gun at Olivia who looked to her with a frown.

"What? You want _my_ clothes, too?" Olivia questioned, sardonically as the room emptied.

"Oh, no, dear," River smirked, shaking her head. "I just don't want you to try anything. Step ahead of me and pick your seat, then lower your guns so I can try on clothes."

"I'm not gonna do anything," Olivia retorted, stepping ahead to find a seat, stopping herself from calling her River. She dumped her guns on the table and flopped into a seat, and River left her own guns on the table as well before gathering several clothes from the floor and finding a mirror to begin trying stuff on.

"Hmm, now look at that," River smiled, examining an outfit she'd put on. "Now that's fun. From _every_ angle."

River glanced at Olivia in the mirror as she only sat at the table.

"Why don't you try something on?" River suggested. "Shopping always does me a _world_ of good."

"This isn't shopping," Olivia retorted, glaring at her through the mirror before standing and stepping up behind her, crossing her arms. "You know what does _me_ a world of good though? Answers."

"Oh, haven't you figured out everything already?" River sighed, picking up a hat to examine it and put it on.

"Not why you took me as a hostage," Olivia retorted, starting to pace behind her. "Or why you saved me…twice, after knowing who I was. I'm the Doctor's companion, why would you save my life?"

"Which question should I answer first?" River smirked, mockingly as if she wouldn't answer any of them.

"What are you playing at, Melody?" Olivia questioned, stepping toward the mirror to stand next to it. "You didn't need a hostage, why'd you drag me with you?"

River said nothing as she tossed the hat away and lifted something else from her pile to try on.

"Ok, why'd you save me from being shot?"

River remained silent as she tried something else on, keeping her gaze on the mirror. Olivia sighed as she stepped in front of her, blocking her reflection and sending River's green gaze at her in surprise.

"Look, I was, for lack of a better word, a bitch to you as soon as you drove up in that car. Why are you being so nice to me?"

River sighed before tossing away the thing she'd tried on and placing her hands on her hips as she looked Olivia in the eye.

"Alright, I'll be honest with you," River nodded. "I feel we have a connection of some kind. Almost like…we were _meant_ to be good friends, if not best mates. So, bare with me, alright? Just let me get some new clothes and we'll get to know each other a bit better."

Olivia frowned as River gently moved her away to look at herself in the mirror again, lifting something from her pile of clothes to try it on. Their attention was drawn to the door when Amy ran in, a serious look over her face and Olivia stared at her with wide eyes as River looked at her through the mirror in exasperation.

"Now, dear, I told you not to follow me," River recalled as Olivia hurried toward her with a grin.

"Amy! Where's Rory? Is the Doctor alright?" Olivia frowned when Amy only stepped closer to River. "Amy?"

"I might take the age down a little," River reported, pulling on an officer's jacket and adjusting it. "Just gradually…to freak people out."

"You killed the Doctor," Amy said with a straight face in a monotone, making Olivia's frown deepen at her.

"Oh, yes, I know, dear," River sighed. "I hope you're not gonna keep on about it. Ooh, regeneration…it's a whole new coloring to work with."

Amy moved, almost robotically around, River to look at her face to face, making Olivia's frown fall as she reached into her jacket for her Sonic Screwdriver, but she only watched for the moment.

"You killed the Doctor on the orders of the movement known as the Silence, an Academy of the Question," Amy continued making Olivia's frown return, something wasn't right. That was _not_ Amy. "You accept and know this to be true?"

"Quite honestly, I don't really remember," River retorted, still looking in the mirror. "It was all a bit of a jumble."

Amy stepped behind the mirror to shove it aside and opened her mouth wide, sending a bright light at River. It attacked her, making her back up and struggled to be free of it, making Olivia lift her Sonic to use it on the thing that looked like Amy.

"Get off me!" River shouted.

"Sorry, did you say she killed the Doctor?"

Olivia froze and they all whirled around to see the Doctor in a tuxedo and top hat leaning back against his TARDIS with a cane in front of him.

"The Doctor?" he repeated as they all stared at him in astonishment and he looked to them, asking, "Doctor who?"

"You're dying, and you stopped to _change_?" River breathed in disbelief.

"Of course he did!" Olivia grinned, tears welling in her eyes. He looked alright.

"Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any," the Doctor smirked, standing and heading toward the stairs he was parked at the top of as Olivia hurried toward him, throwing her arms around his neck. He gave a grunt and a soft groan of pain, making her frown and back away enough to look into his eyes, realizing he wasn't as well as he made out he was. "Time is not the boss of you, is it, Liv? Rule four hundred and eight."

He grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward Amy and River to stand in front of Amy and examine her.

"Amelia Pond, judgment death machine," he realized. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Yeah, I'm…not surprised either," Olivia retorted as he released her hand to lift his cane and he grinned at her.

"Sonic Cane," he grinned at Olivia, making her giggle.

"Are you serious?" River questioned.

"Never knowingly," he replied, pointing his cane at Robot Amy. "Never knowingly be serious. Rule twenty-seven. You might want to write these down." He looked to the results on his Sonic Cane before announcing, "Oh, it's a robot! With four hundred twenty-three life signs inside. A robot worked by tiny people. Love it, Liv?"

"Love it," she smirked back.

"But how did you all get in there, though? Bigger on the inside?" he asked, stepping right up to it and looking into the eyes, then looked to his cane again. "No, basic miniaturization sustained by a compression field. Ooh! Watch what you eat. It'll get you every time."

Olivia giggled before glancing at River, who was eyeing an exit.

"Amy, if you and Rory are ok, signal me," he called before looking to his cane, obviously getting the signal and smiled, "Thanking you."

He suddenly shouted in pain and fell to the floor, making Olivia hurry toward him to try helping him up.

"Doctor—?!"

"I'm so sorry!" he shouted, moving himself toward the stairs to sit on the lowest one. "Leg went to sleep. Just had a quick left leg power nap. I forgot I had one scheduled. Actually, I'd better sit down. I think I heard the right one yawning."

"Oh, you're an idiot," Olivia ground out, sitting next to him and using her Sonic to scan him, but shot her gaze to River when she bolted toward the exit on the other side of the room. Robot Amy turned to River, opened her mouth wide again and the light from it attacked her. She came to a halt and struggled, trying to get away from the light, crying out in pain.

"No!" Olivia shouted, standing in an attempt to help her, but the Doctor's voice and his hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Don't you touch her! Do not harm her in any way!"

Amy's mouth closed but River was suspended in light as she looked back at them with a blank expression.

"Why would you care?" it asked. "She's the woman who kills you."

"I'm not dead," the Doctor grinned, lifting his top hat and placing it on the floor.

"You're dying."

"Well, at least I'm not a time-traveling, shapeshifting robot operated by miniaturized, cross people, which, I have got to admit, I didn't see coming."

"What do you want with her?" Olivia questioned, gesturing to River as she moaned in pain.

"She's Melody Pond. According to our records, the woman who kills the Doctor."

"And I'm the Doctor, so what's it gotta do with you?"

"Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes. Time travel has…responsibilities."

"So you're able to time travel and now you've decided to punish dead people?" Olivia retorted.

"We don't kill them, we extract them near the end of their established timelines."

"Yeah? And do what?" she questioned.

"Give them hell."

Olivia's eyes widened before she looked to the Doctor, his casual smile falling as he glared up at the robot.

"I'd ask who you think you are, but I think the answer is pretty obvious," the Doctor said, and Olivia recognized his tone as she looked back to the Amy-bot. "So who do you think _I_ am? 'The Woman Who Killed the Doctor.' It sounds like you've got my biography in there. I'd love a peek."

"Our records office is sealed to the public. Foreknowledge is dangerous."

"As so demonstrated," Olivia ground out.

"Yeah, well, I'll be dead in three minutes. There isn't much foreknowledge left."

"Sorry, can't do that."

"Governments never change," Olivia growled, sitting herself next to the Doctor.

"You alright, Liv?" he whispered.

"Don't worry about me," she muttered. "Worry about you."

"Records available," Amy-bot suddenly said, making them both look at her and Olivia helped him stand as he used his cane as well.

"Question," he strained as Olivia ducked under one of his arms to steady him. "I'm dying. Who wants me dead?"

"The Silence."

"What is the Silence? Why's it called that? W-What does it mean?"

"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that Silence will fall when the question is asked."

"What question?"

"The first question, the oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight."

"Yes, but what is the question?"

"Unknown."

"Oh, well, fat lot of use that is, you big ginge. Call yourselves a records—? Agh!"

"Doctor!" Olivia called when his legs gave way and he dropped his cane as he and Olivia tumbled to the floor.

"The kidneys are always the _first_ to quit! I've had better, you know."

"Doctor, please!" Olivia sobbed, trying to sit him up then looked up at River when the light around her turned fiery red and she cried out in pain. "No! Stop it!"

"Amy, Rory," the Doctor strained. "Can you hear me?"

"What do we do?" Amy asked. "This is me. This is me _actually_ talking. What do we do?"

"Just stop them," the Doctor strained as River still groaned and shook in the pain they were inflicting on her. "She's your daughter. Just stop them."

"How? How?" Amy questioned.

"Just do it, Amy!" Olivia cried. "You can stop them! Do it!"

A moment later River was released but before she fell completely to the floor, Olivia shot toward her and caught her.

"I've got you," she whispered. "We have to save your parents."

"Don't run," the Doctor called, making them both look to him as he struggled on the floor. "I know you're scared. But never run when you're scared…Rule seven."

Olivia hurried toward him, letting River sit in one of the chairs at one of the tables as she knelt in front of the Doctor.

"Doctor, can you hear us?" Amy called as Olivia tried to help him to his feet. "Doctor. Doctor, help us! Doctor, please!"

"Get me…to the TARDIS, Liv," he strained, trying to stand.

"Arm around my neck," she instructed, and he draped his arm over her neck to help him toward the stairs leading to the blue box. "Stairs. Lift your foot."

He tried to lift his foot but he stumbled over the stair, sending them both tumbling onto the stairs as Amy cried for help.

"Look at you two," River murmured, watching them from her chair. "You still care. It's impressive, I'll give you that."

"River," the Doctor groaned as Olivia tried to help him up the stairs. "Please."

"Again!" River exasperated as she stood. "Who is this River? She's gotta be a woman. Am I right? Olivia?"

"Please, just help us save them," Olivia insisted, trying to pull the Doctor up the stairs he was sprawled out on.

"Tell me about her," River requested. "Go on."

Olivia's foot slid out from under her and she landed on the top stairs, bouncing down to the next one and crying out in pain as the Doctor growled in anger at River's request.

"Olivia, go!" the Doctor ordered, making her nod, but she looked to River as she watched them. River was confused, and Olivia could tell she was insistent on finding out what she wanted to know. Olivia stood and stepped toward her, taking her hand and looking into her eyes.

"I can't fly it alone. We need your help."

It was a lie, but she needed River's cooperation…to help _herself_.

"_I_ can't fly her," River objected, making Olivia smile, warmly.

"You're the child of the TARDIS. Of _course_ you can." She turned and dragged her toward the TARDIS, unlocked the door and let her in before hurrying back to the Doctor as he rolled onto his back, painfully. She knelt next to him, looking over him as she placed a hand over his cheek. "Theta? I'll be back. Don't you dare die on me yet or I'll kill you, understand?"

He nodded with a slight smirk before lifting a hand to beckon her closer and she leaned forward to let him press a kiss to her lips.

"For luck," he breathed and she swallowed back a sob before rushing to the TARDIS, shutting the door behind her and running to the console where River stood, starting the engines.

"How am I able to do this?" River asked her as they both worked on the console, and the engines made their telltale sound. "I don't understand."

"I'll explain it after we get your parents," Olivia replied, slamming a lever down as River operated a part of the console that blocked her from the door.

"Doctor?" Amy called as she and Rory appeared near the door and looked around the control room. Olivia smiled at them as Amy breathed, "You did it! Where's the Doctor?"

Olivia's smile fell as River came out from behind the console, making the couples' eyes widen at her.

"I seem to able to fly her," River explained. "She showed me how. She taught me. Olivia says I'm the child of the TARDIS." She looked to Olivia still standing at the console. "What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what you think it does," Olivia replied, turning back to the console. "Now let's get back to the Doctor."

She and River went back to operating the TARDIS and a moment later Olivia was marching toward the door, signaling Amy and Rory to head out, River following them. The three crowded around him, Olivia on his left with Amy and Rory kneeling on his right as he glanced between them, River standing away from them to watch them.

"You can't die now," Amy murmured, smirking, "I _know_ you don't die now."

"Oh, Pond, you've got a schedule for everything," he muttered.

"It doesn't make any sense," she insisted.

"Doctor, what do we do? Come on," Rory asked. "How do we help?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rory, you can't," he breathed, making Olivia let out a sob. "Nobody can. Ponds, listen to me. I need to talk to your daughter."

Amy bowed her head before she and Rory stood and Olivia moved to stand as well, but he gripped her wrist, making her frown down at him.

"I love you, Olivia Felton," he whispered so low that only she could hear him and a tear ran down her cheek as she nodded.

"You too, Theta Sigma," she whispered back before he released her wrist and River knelt next to him just as she stood to stand with Rory and Amy.

"Find her," the Doctor breathed. "Find River Song and tell her something for me."

"Tell her what?" River asked before leaning closer to him so he could whisper in her ear. She smiled before pulling back to say, "Well I'm sure she knows."

Her smile fell when she looked down at him to find his eyes closed and Olivia couldn't hold back her sobs anymore as she leaned on Amy's shoulder, Rory's arms wrapped around Amy's waist. River backed toward them and looked to Olivia, their gazes meeting.

"Who's River Song?" she asked, making the three stare at her with wide eyes before Olivia looked to Amy as she stepped toward the robot of herself.

"Are you still working because I'm still a relative?" Amy asked it before ordering, "Access files on River Song."

"Records available," Amy-bot replied.

"Show me her," Amy ordered. "Show me River Song."

The robot's image changed to reveal River Song and Olivia looked to the real River to see her eyes welling with tears as she saw herself and realized she was River all along.

"What did he say?" Olivia whispered as River turned to the Doctor. "What was his message?"

Olivia saw something change in River as she looked down at the Doctor, then saw her hands glow again, making her frown, taking a step back toward Amy and Rory.

"What's happening?" Amy asked her and Olivia only shook her head, watching River slowly approach the Doctor. "River, what are you doing?"

"Just tell me," River replied, not looking back at them and still approaching the Doctor. "The Doctor…is he worth it?"

"Yes," Olivia breathed. "God, yes…he is."

They watched River's hands glow brightly as she knelt next to him and placed her hands on his face, making his eyes shoot open as he gasped.

"River," he breathed, staring wide eyes at her. "No. What are you doing?"

"Hello, Sweetie," River grinned before pressing her lips to his.

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia hugged the Doctor's arm as they stood in River's hospital room, Amy and Rory on the other side of her bed just as she awoke.

"Hey," Amy smiled down at her.

"Hey," River replied weakly, clapping her lips before asking, "Where am I?"

"You're safe now," Amy assured her. "Apparently, you used all your regenerations in one go. You shouldn't have done that."

"Mother…I had to try," River insisted, still weak.

"I know," Amy smiled.

"He said no one could save him…but he must have known _I_ could."

"Rule 1:" the Doctor chimed in, drawing everyone's attention to him as he stood next to the window with Olivia. "The Doctor lies."

"She just needs to rest," the nurse in the room with them assured them all when River drifted off to sleep. "She'll be absolutely fine."

The Doctor stepped toward her bedside table to set a blue diary on it as Olivia smiled, "No…she'll be _amazing_."

* * *

_Back in the TARDIS..._

"So that's it, we just leave her there?" Amy wondered as she and Rory approached the console where the Doctor and Olivia worked.

"The Sisters of the Infinite Schism," the Doctor reminded them. "Greatest hospital in the universe."

"Yeah, but she's our daughter, Doctor," Amy reminded him. "She's River _and_ she's our daughter."

"Amy, I know," he replied. "But we have to let her make her own way now. We have too much foreknowledge, it's…a dangerous thing…foreknowledge."

He looked to the scanner, making Olivia frown at him and she quietly approached him to try seeing what was on the screen.

"What's that?" Amy asked, trying to see the screen as well.

"Nothing," he lied, flipping a switch to turn the screen off and Olivia gave a silent sigh of exasperation before stepping away again. "Just some data I downloaded from the Teselecta. Very boring."

"Doctor, River was brainwashed to kill you, right?" Rory asked.

"She _did_ kill him…and then she used however many lives she had left to save him," Olivia summarized.

"As first dates go, I'd say that was mixed signals," the Doctor chimed in.

"But…that stuff that they put in her head, is that gone now?" Rory wondered. "The River that we know in the future…she _is_ in prison for murder."

"Whose murder?" Amy wondered, but instead of answering her question the Doctor only grinned and hurried around the console. "Will we see her again?"

"Oh, she'll come looking for us," he replied, grabbing Olivia's hand and dragging her up the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS.

"Yeah, but how?" Amy wondered, making him stop at the top of the stairs to turn to her. "How do people even look for you?"

"Oh, Pond, haven't you figured that one out yet?" he smirked before turning and dragging Olivia behind him.

"I figured it out!" Olivia giggled as he turned down a hall and she gave a squeak when he spun and pressed her against the wall, smirking down at her.

"Did you, Liv?" he murmured and she nodded with a grin. "Tell me."

"Archeology," she whispered back.

"You're not half clever, Felton," he smirked.

Olivia's lower lip quivered slightly before she threw her arms around him and pulled him close as he wrapped his arms around her in return. She pulled back to look up at him then lifted a hand to smack him upside the head.

"Ow!" he cried, lifting a hand to the spot she'd smacked. "What—?!"

"That's for dying…again!" she snapped before punching his arm, making him wince. "And that's for making River use all her regenerations."

"Liv, please—"

She cut him off when she punched his other arm.

"And that's for anything stupid you might do later!"

He gripped her wrists and shoved them onto the wall on either side of her head as she stared up at him with wide eyes and he loomed over her.

"Now, Olivia, you have to stop punching me," he murmured. "You hit me hard enough I might regenerate."

Olivia's breath hitched and he recognized the terror in her eyes making him frown down at her in wonder.

"Liv?"

"Don't," she breathed, making his frown deepen before she pulled her wrists from his grip. "Don't…even go there."

He watched her in confusion as she ducked under his arm and hurried back toward the control room.

* * *

**A/N:** and right about now you should be asking, what the hell is up with Liv? *evil laugh* reviews?


	21. Cupboard

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 21: Cupboard**_

The Doctor watched Olivia closely as she came down the stairs with two mugs of tea in her hands for Amy and Rory, handing them to the couple with a smile. She stepped toward the console, frowning when she saw the Doctor staring at her but said nothing as she looked back to what she was doing. Amy and Rory chatted as the Doctor still watched Olivia and strolled around the console to step next to her.

"Yes, dear?" she chirped, grabbing the rail under the scanner to pull it toward her and look at the screen.

"Why did you run away from me earlier? You've never done that before," he murmured as she still stared at the screen.

"You'll have to get under there and fix…that," she reported, pointing to something on the screen where a diagram of the underside of the console was displayed.

"Liv, you're dodging the question."

"Damn right, I'm dodging the question. I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well, _I_ do, so could you stop looking at the scanner and look at _me_?"

"Nope."

The Doctor shoved the scanner away, finally making Olivia glare at him.

"When we were in the hall, having a moment, you ran away. Why?"

"Maybe I didn't _want_ a moment. Ever think about that?"

"Now you're lying because I could tell you were enjoying it until I told you not to hit me. Why? And I'm not going to ask again."

"Good."

Olivia turned back to the console and reached for the scanner but before she could pull it closer she cried out in pain. She leaned on the console and held a hand to her head as pain flared behind her eyes.

"Liv, what's the matter?" the Doctor asked, gripping her shoulders and turning her toward him as she seemed to slowly recover.

"I'm getting…something," she strained as Amy and Rory hurried toward her to see if she was alright. She frowned as she looked to the Doctor, still holding a hand to her head. "A telepathic message."

"What does it say?" he asked as she looked away from him to focus.

"I can hardly make it out," she replied before wincing again in pain, then the message came in clearly. "It's…a little boy. He's saying…'Please save me from the monsters.'"

"Ow!" the Doctor called, reaching into his jacket pocket with a frown and looked at the Psychic Paper.

"Please save me from the monsters," he read aloud as Olivia frowned at him in wonder, the message dying down in her mind. He kissed her forehead before hurrying around the console. "Haven't done _this_ in a while."

"Haven't done what?" Amy wondered as he worked on the console and Rory looked over Olivia. "What are you doing?"

"Making a house call," the Doctor replied.

"I'm fine, Rory," Olivia smiled as she stood tall. "Just haven't gotten a telepathic message like that in a while."

Rory nodded before glancing to the Doctor as he looked at the scanner as Amy stood with him.

"What about you and the Doctor?" he asked, making her frown at him in wonder. "Everything ok with you two?"

"Oh…yeah, sort of," Olivia replied, honestly, but vaguely. "Just a little spat. We'll get over it."

"Can't imagine what _your_ spats are like," he muttered, and she couldn't help but chuckle before the TARDIS shuddered to a halt, making them all head for the door.

Rory was the first to head out, followed by Amy, but the Doctor gripped Olivia's arm before she could head out of the TARDIS, making her look up at him with a frown.

"I still want to know what's wrong, Liv," he murmured. She rolled her eyes and nodded before pulling away from his grip to head out of the TARDIS and into the courtyard of a block of flats.

"No offense, Doctor," Rory called as they all looked around.

"Meaning the opposite?" the Doctor guessed, shutting the door behind him.

"But we could get a bus somewhere like this," Rory resumed.

"The _exact_ opposite," the Doctor confirmed.

"Well, I suppose it can't all be planets and history and stuff, Rory," Amy retorted.

"Yes, it can," the Doctor argued, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her toward the building. "Of _course_ it can. Planets and history and stuff, that's what we do. But not today, no. Today we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe…a child's bedroom."

They walked toward the lifts as Amy and Rory followed Olivia and the Doctor.

"So, Olivia said she got a telepathic message," Rory recalled as he and Amy stopped up behind them, the Doctor pressing the button to call the lift. "Who sent that?"

"That's what we're here to find out," the Doctor replied.

"And she said it was a kid," Amy recalled as well. "A little boy?"

"He sounded scared," Olivia reported. "_Very_ scared."

"So scared that, somehow, his cry for help got through to us in the TARDIS," the Doctor confirmed.

"Yeah, but you traced it here?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"Exactly," he replied just as the lift opened. "Ah! Going up."

He pulled Olivia into the lift with him, Amy and Rory following them in.

"Now, I want you to ask around the building," he instructed them, releasing Olivia's hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders from behind, setting his chin on her shoulder as the lift moved. "Look for clues."

"Right, clues," Amy nodded, then frowned but the lift stopped and they all filed out before she could question him, Amy and Rory heading one way, Olivia and the Doctor heading another. The Doctor glanced down at his hand as it still held Olivia's, then glanced at her.

"I'm surprised you're letting me hold you hand," he admitted.

"Oh, should I deny my own pleasures just because I'm irritated with you?" she retorted, making him frown at her as they stopped at a door and she glanced at him as she knocked. "I like having my hand held…even when you're being…_you_."

He smiled at her, but they both turned to the door when it opened to reveal an elderly woman on the other side of it.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted as Olivia waved with a smile.

"Is this about the bins?!" she questioned, making the couple frown in wonder.

"Pardon?" the Doctor replied.

"The bins! I can't be expected to get down all them stairs! I need new knees!"

"Not the bins, no, Miss…?" the Doctor asked.

"_Mrs._ Rossiter," she replied. "I've already got a new hip. I'll be able to manage when I get the knees. I'll be down them stairs like Sherpa Tenzing, then."

"Wonderful," Olivia smiled. "Can we come in?"

"Of course not!" Mrs. Rossiter objected, grabbing her door and getting ready to close it if she had to. "You could be anyone!"

"We could be, but we're not," the Doctor replied as she started shutting the door. "I'm the Doctor!"

The door was slammed in their faces and Olivia sighed, tiredly before they turned to head toward the next door.

* * *

_Some time later..._

"This isn't gonna work," she sighed, as they strolled down the balcony. "There's too many. We'll be here for hours."

"Or not," he replied, deftly as he looked down to the other end of the building.

She frowned at him before following his gaze, seeing Amy and Rory on the floor below them, and a little boy peeking out of the curtains covering his windows.

"_He_ looks scared," Olivia noticed.

"Yes, he does," he replied, pulling her toward the stairs leading to the next floor to meet Rory and Amy.

"Hey!" Amy smiled. "Any luck?"

"Three old ladies, a traffic warden from Croatia, and a man with ten cats," the Doctor replied.

"What are we _actually_ looking for?" Rory asked.

"Ten cats!" the Doctor grinned then replied, "Scared kid, remember?"

"I found _scary_ kids, does that count?" Amy wondered, making Olivia giggle.

"Um, try the next floor down," the Doctor suggested. "Catch you later."

He pulled Olivia with him, heading toward the window where they'd seen the little boy and knocked on the door. As the door opened the Doctor pulled out his Psychic Paper to show whatever credentials he wanted the man that opened the door to see.

"Oh! Right, that was quick," the man said, making the couple frown at him.

"It was?" Olivia asked as the Doctor looked to his Psychic Paper in wonder.

"Claire said she'd phone someone," the man explained as the Doctor tucked the paper away. "Social Services."

"Yes, yes," the Doctor replied as Olivia nodded.

"It's not easy, you know," the man reported. "Admitting your kid's got a problem."

"_You've_ got a problem, _I've_ got a problem, I bet they're connected," the Doctor replied. "I'm the Doctor and this is Olivia Felton. Call me 'Doctor' and call her 'Olivia.' What can we call you?"

"Alex," he replied, shaking the Doctor's hand then Olivia's.

"Hello, Alex," the Doctor grinned before taking Olivia's hand and pulling her past him and into the flat. "So, tell us about George."

Olivia frowned in wonder at how he knew his name as Alex shut the front door, then noticed a door with a child's drawing on it with the words 'George's Room' written on it.

"Have a seat," Alex entreated, gesturing toward the sitting room where the Doctor pulled Olivia toward the sofa to sit. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Not yet, thank you," the Doctor replied.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Olivia smiled before looking to the table in front of the sofa and reaching for the white album sitting on it. "Is it alright if I look at this?"

"Oh, go ahead," Alex replied, sitting in the arm chair next to her. "It's got George's baby pictures here."

He helped her flip through the book to the pages with George in them.

"Ever since he was born, he's been a funny kid," Alex explained.

"Well, that's good," the Doctor replied, shifting closer to Olivia to look at the pictures over her shoulder. "We like funny, don't we, Liv?"

She only nodded as she looked through the pictures.

"Well, he never cries," Alex explained, making Olivia give a frown. "Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you."

"How old is he?" Olivia wondered as the Doctor took the album to look at it.

"He was eight in January," Alex replied. "I mean, he should be grown out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?"

"Maybe," the Doctor replied, setting the book back on the table. "It's got worse, though, lately?"

"Yeah, we talked about getting help," Alex nodded. "You know, maybe sending him somewhere. He started getting these nervous ticks. You know, funny, little cough, blinking all the time. And now it's got completely out of hand. I mean, he's scared to death of everything."

"Pantophobia," the Doctor reported.

"What?" Alex frowned.

"That's what it's called," the Doctor explained. "Pantophobia. Not a fear of pants, though, if that's what you're thinking. It's a fear of everything. Including pants, I suppose, in that case."

"Sorry, Alex," Olivia smiled when the Doctor trailed off. "Please, continue."

"He hates clowns," Alex resumed.

"Understandable," the Doctor muttered, making Olivia smirk.

"Old toys. He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch. He hates having a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing." Alex sighed before resuming, "Look, I don't know. I'm not an expert. Maybe you can get through to him."

"I'll do my best," the Doctor smiled.

There was a crash from his room, causing all three of them to shoot to their feet and hurry toward the door, Alex in the lead.

"George?" he called, opening the door and hurrying in and Olivia was about to run in after him, but the Doctor stopped her. "Are you ok? What's the matter?"

"Wait," the Doctor whispered to her when she frowned at him.

"Were you having a nightmare, son?" Alex asked George in the room.

"It wasn't a nightmare. I wasn't asleep," George replied and his voice was so small that Olivia gave the Doctor a pitiable look, pleading with him to let her go in. He nodded and took her hand to step into the doorway. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," he replied.

"A Doctor?!" George gasped. "Have you come to take me away?"

"No, George," he replied. "I just want to talk to you."

"What about?" George asked.

"About the monsters," the Doctor replied, and Olivia watched the little boy blink rapidly as he just stared at them.

"Who is she?" he finally asked of Olivia and she smiled as she stepped toward the bed to kneel next to him.

"My name is Olivia Felton, and I'm here to help the Doctor, help you."

She tapped his nose with a smile, expecting him to give a childish giggle, but he only stared at her, making her smile fall as the Doctor stepped into the room, lifting a Rubix cube from the table next to the door and examine it. Alex stood to turn on the light as the Doctor sat at the foot of George's bed, Olivia standing to sit next to him on the mattress as well.

"Maybe it was things on telly, you know?" Alex guessed, pacing in front of them.

"Right," the Doctor blurted, working on the cube.

"Scary stuff getting under his skin, frightening him."

"Mm-hmm."

"Should we stop letting him watch?"

"Oh, no, don't do that," Olivia objected, winking at George who only stared at her.

"And Claire thought it might have been something he was reading," Alex went on.

"Great! Reading's great," the Doctor grinned, leaning forward to look at him around Olivia. "Do you like stories, George? Yeah? Me too. When I was your age – about, ooh, a thousand years ago – I loved a good bedtime story. The Three Little Sontarans, The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes, Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. All the classics." He tossed the cube across the room. "Rubbish. It must be broken. I hate those things."

"Of course, it's not good to leave things lying around the room like that, is it?" Olivia fake smiled and gave the Doctor a scolding look before standing and hurrying to Alex as he picked it up, and she took it then looked for a place to put it. She glanced at the cupboard and smiled to George, nodding at it and asking, "Does it go in here?"

George gasped, his already wide eyes shooting wider and making the Doctor frown as he stood to step next to Olivia who was also frowning at him.

"No, not in the cupboard," the Doctor realized. "Why not in there, George?"

"It's a…thing," Alex explained. "A thing we got him doing, ages back. Anything that frightens him, we put it in the cupboard. Creepy toys, scary pictures, that sort of thing."

"And is that where the monsters go?" the Doctor asked George, but he only blinked in response, making the Doctor turned toward the cupboard to approach it. "There's nothing to be scared of, George. It's just a cupboard."

Olivia stepped toward George to sit with him on the bed, placing a comforting hand on his shin as they all watched the Doctor step to the cupboard. He touched the door, slowly lifting a hand toward the key, making Olivia swallow. They all jumped and gasped, the Doctor whirling around when they heard pounding.

"Front door," Alex sighed before turning to answer the continual pounding.

Olivia frowned at George when he leaned forward to see out of his door, hearing the landlord speaking with Alex. She smiled at him and lifted a hand to run it over his head as the Doctor watched them then pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver. He pressed the button to make it glow, the sound filling the room and catching George's attention.

"Is that a torch?" George asked.

"Screwdriver," the Doctor corrected with a smile as Olivia smiled up at him before he stepped toward them and sat on the bed next to her. "A sonic one. And other stuff."

"I've got one, too," Olivia smiled, pulling her Sonic out to show it to him.

"Please may I see the other stuff?" George hoped.

"You may," the Doctor nodded as Olivia grinned at his politeness.

The Doctor pointed his Sonic at the toys scattered across the room, and one by one, robots and cars came to life, moving around the floor.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Olivia smiled as she looked to George who only stared at his toys coming to life and she handed her Sonic to him. "You wanna see it?"

He nodded and took the Sonic to examine it, carefully.

"That's better," the Doctor smiled. "No tears from George. That's what I've heard. Go on, give us a smile. There's brave little soldier."

Olivia frowned at him in wonder, however she couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him.

"Bit rusty at this," he muttered before standing and pointing his Sonic at the cupboard. "Anyway, let's open this cupboard, eh? There's nothing to be—"

The Sonic made a strange sound, making Olivia frown up at him as she remained on the bed with George.

"Doctor?" she called.

"Off the scale," he breathed, sitting on the bed again and staring at it with wide eyes as Olivia's eyes widened at him. "Off the scale."

Alex stepped back in the room, sighing, "Right, sorry about that. So have we got this thing open yet?"

He stepped toward the cupboard to open it.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, standing and approaching Alex, making him stop and turn to him with wide eyes. "You don't want to do that."

"Why?" Alex wondered as Olivia remained on the bed with George, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close.

"Because George's monsters are real," the Doctor replied, making Alex frown at him in confusion before the Doctor left the room.

Alex looked to Olivia who only shrugged and shook her head to tell him she didn't know, and Alex followed the Doctor out of the room. She was about to follow them out when George gripped her hand as she stood, making her look to him in wonder but he only stared up at her.

"I promise, we'll be back in here in a second," she smiled, then touched her Sonic, still in his hand. "Keep that, just in case, ok?"

George nodded and Olivia smiled warmly before heading out the door and into the kitchen where the Doctor was looking through the cabinets.

"You're supposed to be a professional," Alex snapped as the Doctor still moved around the kitchen. "I'll never get him to sleep now. You're so…irresponsible!"

"No, Alex, responsible, very," the Doctor shot back. "Cupboard bad. Cupboard not bare. Stay away from cupboard. And there's something else. Something I've missed, something staring me in the face. Liv, find it for me."

"Sure," she frowned. "I'll work on that."

"Look, I'd like you to leave, please," Alex requested. "You're just making things worse." He stared at the Doctor as he only continued making tea before looking to Olivia who only shrugged before he marched toward the Doctor. "Will you stop making tea?! I want you to leave!"

"No," the Doctor blurted, making Olivia sigh and lower her face into her hand.

"What? What do you mean, no?" Alex snapped as the Doctor went to the fridge to open it, but Alex marched toward him to shut the door, looking at the Doctor. "Leave, get out."

The Doctor opened the door again, making Alex shut it again.

"Now, please!" Alex snapped again and the Doctor only stared at him before he sighed. "Look, maybe this was a bad idea. We should sort out George ourselves."

"Can't," the Doctor argued, reaching into the fridge for something then moving back to the counter.

"No one's gonna tell us how to run our lives. I don't care who you are or what wheels have been set in motion. We'll sort it!"

"I'm not just a professional, I'm the Doctor."

"What that supposed to mean?"

"It means I've come a long way to get here, Alex, a very long way. George sent a message, a distress call, if you like. Whatever's inside that cupboard is so terrible, so _powerful_, that it amplified the fears of an ordinary little boy across all the barriers of time and space."

"Eh?"

"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire, through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought and a whole terrible, wonderful universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes. And one thing I can tell you, Alex: Monsters are real."

Olivia bit her lower lip, staring at the Doctor as he stared at Alex who stared back at him.

"You're not from social services, are you?" Alex guessed.

"First things first," the Doctor replied. "You got any Jammie Dodgers?"

* * *

_Later..._

"What is it with these photos?" the Doctor wondered, his cup of tea in one hand, the photo album in the other as Olivia and Alex sat on the sofa with their own cups of tea, Olivia nibbling on a Jammie Dodger. He shut the book, setting it down and standing as he called, "Anyway! Good, nice tea. Nothing like a cuppa. But decision…should we open the cupboard?"

Alex choked on his tea as Olivia frowned up at the Doctor in confusion.

"What?" Alex questioned.

"Should we?" Olivia wondered as he turned to them.

"Gotta open the cupboard haven't we?" the Doctor went on. "Course we have. Come on, Alex! Alex, come on! How else will we ever find out what's going on here?!"

"Right, but you said—"

"Monsters, yeah, well, that's what I do. Breakfast, dinner and tea, fight the monsters."

"This is an average day for us," Olivia chimed in, downing the last of her tea.

"Ok, yeah, you're right," Alex nodded to the Doctor.

"Or maybe we shouldn't open the cupboard," the Doctor recanted. "We have no idea what might be in there. How powerful, how evil that thing might be. Come on, Alex! Alex, come on! Are you crazy?! We can't open the cupboard!"

"God, no! No, we mustn't!" Alex panicked.

"Right. That settles it."

"Settles what?" Olivia asked the Doctor as he downed the last of his tea.

"Going to open the cupboard."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	22. Tenza

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Tenza**_

Alex, Olivia and the Doctor stood in front of the cupboard in George's room as George stood next to his dad. The Doctor cracked his knuckles, then his neck before slowly stepping to the cupboard as George breathed heavily in panic. The Doctor pressed his ear to the door before reaching for the key, unlocking the door then quickly pulling it open and stepping back, making all of them gasp…but nothing happened. The Doctor moved the clothes hanging inside, stared down at the dollhouse and other toys then looked back at the three.

"I don't understand," he admitted. "It _has_ to be the cupboard. The readings from the Sonic Screwdriver, they were—Olivia, get that album."

She nodded and hurried out of the room to get the photo album, opening it to look through it, frowning at it in wonder when it suddenly hit her as well.

"Alex, how old is George again?" she asked.

"I told you, just turned eight," Alex replied.

"So you remember when he was born, then?" the Doctor guessed, taking the album from her to look at it as well.

"Of course."

"Of course you do. How could you not?"

"This is you and Claire on Christmas Eve 2002, yes?" Olivia wondered, pointing to the pictures in the album.

"Yeah," Alex replied.

"A couple weeks before George was born," the Doctor observed of the pictures. "Tell me about the day he arrived. It must have been wonderful."

"It was the best day of my…life," Alex replied, but he frowned as if trying to remember something.

"Sure?" the Doctor wondered.

"Yes."

"You don't sound sure."

"What are you trying to say? Look I don't like this. I told you before I want you to go!"

"Alex, what's the matter?" Olivia asked, as Alex frowned, still trying to remember.

"I can't—!" he cut himself off before glancing between them. "Oh, this is scary."

"No, Alex, _this_ is scary," the Doctor shot back, showing him the album, flipping a page back and forth. "Claire with baby George. New born, yes?"

"Yes."

"Less than a month after Christmas."

"So?!"

"So look, look, Claire's not pregnant."

"What?!"

"Not pregnant."

"Well of _course_ not! Claire can't have kids!"

Olivia's eyes widened at him before she looked to George now sitting on his bed and she sat next to him.

"Say that again," the Doctor ordered, closing the album.

"We tried everything," Alex explained as Olivia wrapped an arm around George, taking her Sonic Screwdriver back from him. "She was desperate. As much IVF as we could afford, but…Claire can't have kids. How…How can I have forgotten that?"

They both looked to George as he sat on the bed, staring up at them.

"Who are you, George?" the Doctor wondered.

"It's not possible," Alex breathed. "This isn't—"

"George?" Olivia murmured, but froze and looked to his bedside table when it began rattling, the noise from the lift sounding. She stood when George looked to his lamp and it shone brightly before George shot his gaze to the cupboard behind them and the door shot open, suddenly starting to pull Alex, Olivia and the Doctor toward it.

"George!" the Doctor shouted, all three struggling to stay out of the light of the cupboard. "What's going on?! Are you doing this?!"

"What's happening?!" Alex called, trying to keep himself from being sucked into the cupboard.

"Please save me from the monsters!" George started chanting, curling up on his bed as it seemed to shrink, his bed shifting closer and closer to the cupboard.

"_Doctor_!" Olivia screamed, trying to brace herself against the cupboard doors, but it did no good and she was sucked in with a scream, along with the other two.

* * *

_In the Cupboard..._

Olivia groaned as she awoke lying on her back in a dark room.

"George!" the Doctor called, running around the room and pounding on doors. "George! Don't do this! We wanna help you! George!"

"We went…" Alex shuddered as he stood, Olivia moving to stand as well and the Doctor walked around the room to investigate. "We went…we went into the cupboard. We went into the cupboard! How can it be bigger in here?!"

"Good thing you haven't seen the TARDIS," Olivia retorted, stepping toward him to place her hands on his shoulders and look him in the eye. "Are you ok?"

"Where are we?" Alex questioned and they both looked to the Doctor.

"Obvious, isn't it?" the Doctor retorted.

"No!"

"Doll's house. We're inside the doll's house."

"The doll's house?!"

Alex and Olivia followed right behind the Doctor.

"Yeah, in the cupboard in your flat. The doll's house."

"No, look, slow down, would ya?" Alex requested but the Doctor lifted the things from the dinner table in front of them and threw them to Alex and Olivia.

"Look, wooden chicken. Cups, saucers, plates, knives, forks, fruits, chickens. Wood. So we're either inside the doll's house or this is a refuge for dirty, posh people who eat wooden food."

"Or giant termites," Olivia chimed in, setting her armful of things on the table.

"Termites trying to get on the property ladder," he nodded, grabbing a huge wooden fruit. "No. That's possible. _Is it_ possible?"

He handed the fruit to Alex before grabbing Olivia's hand and dragging her down the halls of the house, Alex dumping the load in his arms and heading after them.

"Look, will you stop?!" Alex snapped before grabbing the Doctor's arm and turning him to face him. "What is he? What is George? And how could I forget that Claire can't have kids. How?"

"Sounds like a perception filter," Olivia explained just as the Doctor pulled her down the hall again, stopping in front of a mirror as she went on. "A powerful one. It must have changed everyone's memories."

"Now, what could do that?" the Doctor wondered after checking his teeth then heading down the hall again, Alex behind them, but Olivia tugged on the Doctor's hand, making him stop to look at her with a frown.

"There's something wrong here," she whispered. "We're not alone."

"Good to know, we'll deal with it later," he replied before pulling her into another room, Alex right behind them. "So, Claire can't have kids and something responded to that, responded to that need. What could do that?"

"Well, I thought _you_ were the experts, fighting monsters all day long," Alex shot back. "_You_ tell _me_!"

"Oi! Listen, Mush, old eyes, remember?" the Doctor retorted. "I've been around the block a few times. _More_ than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been 'round and rebuilt them with bigger blocks, superblocks! And I've been 'round them as well. I can't remember everything."

Olivia and Alex listened to the familiar sound fill the room.

"Doctor," Olivia tried.

"It's like trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party when you were two."

"Doctor, the lift," Alex tried as well.

"And I can't just plum for Brian, like I normally do."

"Doctor, listen!" Olivia snapped.

"Shh! What's that?" he questioned.

"It's the lift," Alex explained. "It's the sound that the lift makes. George is scared stiff of it!"

The Doctor stepped toward a corner as Alex noticed the electric candles in the room and watched them, Olivia stepping toward the Doctor.

"What do we do?" Olivia asked as Alex watched the candles.

"We've got to get a message to George," he replied. "Maybe you can do it. Use your telepathy to speak to him. I'll tell you what to say."

"Five times," Alex said, making them look to him in wonder. "The lights, it's happening five times. It's like one of George's habits. We have to switch the lights on and off five times."

"No you're getting it," the Doctor replied, stepping toward Alex and kneeling next to him, Olivia standing between them.

"What do you mean?" Alex wondered.

"What'd you tell George to do, Alex, with everything that scares him?"

"Well, put it in the…cupboard."

"Exactly. And George isn't just an ordinary little boy. We know that now. So anything scary, he puts in here. Scary toys, like the doll's house. Scary _noises_, like the lift. Even his little rituals have become part of it. A psychic repository for all his fears."

"But what is he?" Olivia questioned.

"I don't _know_," the Doctor replied before giggling sounded behind them.

Olivia frowned and the three turned to see a tall, scary-looking doll standing in the doorway.

"Oh, my god," Alex blurted as they both stood and the Doctor pulled out his Sonic to use it on the doll. "Gun! You've got a gun!"

"It's not a gun, and it doesn't work on wood!" Olivia retorted.

"I've got to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing!" the Doctor replied, tucking the Sonic away and grabbing Olivia's hand to drag her toward a door that they opened to reveal a huge pair of patterned, safety scissors. He took the scissors and used them to keep the creepy, giggling doll away from them.

"Run!" he shouted as Olivia found another door and opened it to shove Alex through.

"Don't run away!" the childish voice of the doll called as the Doctor handed the scissors to Alex when he followed. "We just want to play."

"Massive psychic field, perfect perception filter, and that _need_, that need of Claire's to…to… Stupid Doctor!" the Doctor hit his forehead hard as they stopped in and open room with a staircase. "Ow! George is a _Tenza_! Of course he is!"

"He's a what?!" Alex questioned.

"A cuckoo," the Doctor explained as Olivia ran to another door to open it. "A cuckoo in the nest. A Tenza. He's a _Tenza_."

Olivia opened the door to reveal more dolls behind it making her shut it again and shake her head at the Doctor who ran to another door.

"Millions of them hatch in space and then, whoof! Off they drift, looking for a nest." He opened the door he found only to find more dolls and shut it again as the three went up the staircase. "The Tenza young can sense exactly what their foster parents want and then they assimilate."

"George is an alien?!"

"Yup!" Olivia replied, running up the stairs as Alex held some dolls at bay.

"But he's our child!"

"Of course he is," the Doctor went on. "The child you always wanted. He sensed that instinctively and sought you out, but something scared him, started this cycle of fear. It's all completely instinctive, subconscious."

"He's not even aware he's doing it?" Olivia wondered then grabbed the Doctor's arm and turned him to face her. "We have to make him aware. Stall these things. I can talk to him."

The Doctor stepped closer to protect her as Alex kept the dolls coming up the stairs at bay and Olivia closed her eyes to concentrate.

"_George_," she called. "_George, listen to me, you're the only one who can stop this, but you have to believe you're safe. __Know__ you're safe, sweetie. We can't save you from the monsters only __you__ can!_"

"Rory!" the Doctor called as he came down the stairs the other way, using a mop to keep the dolls chasing him at bay.

"Doctor!"

"Where's Amy?" the Doctor asked and Rory pointed to one of the dolls. Olivia caught it and concentrated harder on her message.

"_George you have to face your fears! And you have to do it now! You have to open the cupboard, sweetie. We'll all be trapped here forever, if you don't! George please! I know you're scared but you can do it! You have to end this! End it now!_"

The dolls were closing in on them, pushing the four of them together and just when they all thought they were goners, the dolls froze, making them all look around before looking to the bottom of the stairs and Olivia sighed in relief.

"George!" Olivia grinned. "Sweetie, you did it! It's ok, now. Everything's gonna be fine."

Olivia noticed the dolls' head's turn to him as they began heading down the stairs.

"Doctor!" she urged, making him look around at them.

"No!" he chanted, over and over, but the dolls continued toward George.

"George, you created this world," Olivia called to him, the four staying on the staircase, watching George start to panic. "You created it, you can destroy it."

George shook his head and Olivia turned to the Doctor, at a loss.

"Something's holding him back," he replied to her unasked question before looking to Alex. "That's what did it. That's what the trigger was. He thought you were rejecting him. He thought he wasn't wanted, that someone was going to come and take him away."

"Well, we…we talked about it," Alex explained as the dolls closed in on George.

"And he _heard_ you," Olivia explained.

"Alex, a Tenza's sole function is to fit in, to be wanted, and you were rejecting him," the Doctor explained.

"We just couldn't cope! We needed help!"

"Yes, but George didn't know that! He thought you were rejecting him! He _still_ thinks it."

"But how can we keep him? How _can_ we? He's not—"

"Not what?"

"Not…human."

"No."

"_Dad_!" George shouted, and Alex shoved the scissors at the Doctor before racing down the stairs, shoving past the dolls to get to George, scooping him up in his arms.

"Whatever you are, whatever you do, you're my son, and I will never, ever send you away."

* * *

_Back in the Flat..._

Olivia laughed as Alex lifted George and set him on the counter, the Doctor following with a bag of kippers. She watched the way he was with George, remembering the way he'd treated another frightened young one in Cardiff the same way. She wanted so much to have a little one running around that TARDIS in a room made just for him or her, filled from top to bottom with toys and candy and anything else they wanted. The Doctor looked up at her as she stared at him, and he gave a frown of wonder when their gazes met, but she only shook her head as the front door opened.

"Hi!" Claire called as she entered, and went into the kitchen, catching Olivia's and the Doctor's attention.

"Oh, hi!" Olivia grinned, shaking her hand. "You must be Claire. Nice to meet you!"

"Claire!" the Doctor greeted, stepping toward her and placing air kisses on each cheek of her cheeks. "How do you feel about kippers?"

"Uh, who…?" Claire asked Alex with a frown of wonder.

"They sent someone about George," he explained. "It's all sorted."

"Yeah, we had a great time, didn't we?" the Doctor grinned at George as Claire stepped next to the boy as well.

"Yeah!" George grinned, eating some toast.

"He's fine now," Olivia assured Claire, tapping George's nose and making him giggle.

"What, just like that?" Claire wondered.

"Yes," the Doctor replied, looking her in the eyes and nodding, "Trust me."

Olivia grinned at George but once the family was distracted with each other, the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, making her frown at him but he just marched on, heading onto the balcony to head toward the lift.

"Doctor, wait!" Alex called, hurrying after them and making them stop to turn.

"Sorry, yes, bye!" the Doctor grinned, shaking his hand.

"No, you can't just—I mean, you—"

"It's sorted. You sorted it. Good man, Alex. Proud of you."

"What, that's it?!"

"Apart from having him eat his veggies and getting him to a good school, yup," Olivia nodded with a huge grin, hugging the Doctor's arm.

"Is he gonna, I don't know, sprout another head or three eyes, or something?"

"He's one of the _Tenza_, remember?" the Doctor reminded him. "He'll adapt perfectly now. Be whatever you want him to be."

Olivia smiled when she saw George behind Alex and waved at him before releasing the Doctor's arm and kneeling in front of him, reaching into her jacket pocket.

"You keep this, ok?" she smiled, handing him her Sonic Screwdriver. "It's easy to use. Just point and think. Can you do that?"

George nodded with a grin as he took the Sonic.

"Just…don't let your mates get a hold of it. That could be bad."

"Thank you," he grinned and Olivia smiled back as she ruffled his hair when she stood to head back to the Doctor.

He took her hand and pulled her down the walkway but a few yards away he turned back and called, "Might pop back around puberty, mind you! Always a funny time!"

"Why, what happens with puberty?" Olivia wondered as they turned to head for the lift again.

"What _doesn't_ happen with puberty, Liv?" he retorted, making her giggle as they stepped into the lift and it started heading down.

"Good thing nothing _too_ strange will happen with our daughter when she gets there," Olivia added, making the Doctor look to her with wide eyes. "Just old fashioned, boring, human stuff."

"You want a daughter, too?" he asked in a soft voice.

She looked to him with a frown before it fell to a smile and she nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek just as the lift stopped and they stepped out to meet Amy and Rory in the courtyard.

"Come on, you two!" the Doctor called as they approached. "Things to do, people to see, whole civilizations to save. You feeling ok?"

"Um, I think so," Amy replied.

"Well, it's good to be back together again," Olivia grinned.

"In the flesh," the Doctor added before pulling Olivia toward the TARDIS.

"I wanna see those planets and be apart of history and stuff!" Olivia giggled as they all hurried through the door.

"Where do you want go?" the Doctor asked them all, making his way to the console where he and Olivia began working.

"Um…" Amy hummed.

"Mind's gone blank."

"Well I have just been turned into a wooden dolly."

"Excuses, excuses," Olivia grinned as the TARDIS took off.

"It's tough though," Rory replied. "It's like being given three wishes. The whole universe?"

"_Universes_," the Doctor replied. "Ooh, three wishes! Ali Baba. How about that?"

"Only if _we_ get wishes too," Olivia smirked.

"No, no, of course not," he refused. "Giving _you_ three wishes would be dangerous."

"What, you mean you don't know what my wishes would be?" she shot back.

"I could think of one," Amy replied.

"You, hush," the Doctor shot back, pointing at Amy in warning and she laughed before he looked to Olivia as she still worked the console. "I need some tea. Come on, Rory. Let' make a cuppa."

The Doctor watched them head up the stairs to head for the kitchen then looked to Olivia and made his way to her around the console.

"You ok, Liv?" he murmured in her ear, making her look up at him with a smile.

"Fine," she smiled. "Why? Are _you_ ok?"

"I'm always ok," he shrugged. "I just wanna make sure…"

"That I'm ok. I'm fine."

"So, you're not cross with me anymore…about earlier?"

"Nope." She lifted herself up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "So where are we going?"

"But…I still want to know why you're so scared, Liv."

Olivia frowned up at him in surprised wonder before scoffing, "I'm not scared."

"You're hiding something, darling. Something's scaring you. Are you having dreams again like the ones you had back at Torchwood?"

"No. I haven't had those since I left. Theta, I know you're worried about me, believe me, I do. But I can't explain this to you right now. It's too much for me. Can you understand that, my love?"

He smiled warmly at her before nodding and stepping close to wrap an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Just tell me, honestly…are you pregnant?"

"No, you idiot," she smirked, gently nudging him with her hip, making him chuckle before she murmured, "Have you…?"

"What?"

"No. Never mind."

"Come on, Liv. Tell me."

"Have you…thought of names…at all?"

The Doctor smirked and pulled the scanner in front of them, making her frown in wonder before he flipped a switch and the screen showed a list of names of all kinds.

"That answer your question, darling?" he smirked.

"That's a lot of names," Olivia chuckled.

"Well…some are alien."

"Why don't we take this opportunity to trim that list down a bit…starting with that one." She pointed to the first name at the top of the screen. "Is that for a boy or a girl?"

"It's for either, and I like that name! It's a Judoon name!"

"Not helping your case, babe."

"You'd probably think of something boring like…Jane or Wendy or Julie."

"It can be unique and fun, but if he or she is growing up on Earth, as a human, we have to take into consideration that kids, with the exception of _our_ child…and George, are ruthless little brats."

"What about this one?" He pointed to the screen.

"No, we're not naming our child 'Custard.' Did you even _hear_ what I just said?"

"Yes, but you're being very boring about this, Olivia. Shame on you."

"I'm not being boring, I'm being realistic!"

"Ugh! Realistic. I ought to wash your mouth out with soap, using language like that. You best not use that word in front of Little Sonta."

"That is no name for a child going to public school!"

"Strax?"

"Theta, I'm warning you."

"Theta Sigma Junior?"

"No Theta. No Sigma, and I refuse to call our son Junior!"

"I meant that one if it was a girl."

"_Theta_!"

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia lay on her back in the bottom bunk of hers and the Doctor's room, staring at the frame of the top bunk where the Doctor was lying. She was deep in thought when he suddenly swung his head over the edge of the frame to grin down at her and she jumped as she looked up at him.

"Can I come down there for a mo?" he asked.

"Why are you asking?" Olivia laughed. "You're my husband. You wanna come down here and have your way with me, that's your right."

"Well, I wasn't thinking of _that_," he muttered, and she could tell he was blushing.

She smiled as he climbed down the ladder, scooting over to let him in the bed and he pulled her into his arms, letting her snuggle against him. She grinned as she heard the heart beneath her cheek beat faster, lifting her hand to place it over his other heart to feel it beat just as quickly.

"I love this," she whispered as his hand stroked down her back. "Feeling both your hearts at the same time. It's so calming."

"What were you thinking about, Liv?" he murmured. "I could hear you thinking."

Olivia giggled, tracing invisible designs on his chest as she replied, "I was thinking…I kind of want _more_ than one."

"That so?"

She nodded.

"How many more?"

"At least one more? I have Aaron, I want that for our kids."

"We'll see," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her head and pulling her closer. "Who knows, maybe if you're lucky we'll get twins on the first go, eh?"

Olivia giggled again before shifting her head to press a kiss to his lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you, too, Liv," he grinned back.

Olivia grinned as she snuggled against him again, closing her eyes to fall asleep to the sound of his hearts.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	23. Timestreams

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 23: Timestreams**_

"Apalapucia."

"Say it again," Olivia smirked, watching the Doctor run around the console.

"Apalapucia."

"Apalapu…" Amy trailed off as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and twirled her.

"Chia!" he finished, dipping Olivia back and making her giggle as he pulled her back up.

"Apalapucia," Rory echoed.

"Apalapucia," Amy smiled. "What beautiful word."

"Beautiful word, beautiful world," the Doctor replied, shoving a lever down on the console. "Apalapucia, voted number two planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveler."

"Why couldn't we go to number one?" Rory wondered.

"It's _hideous_!" the Doctor shot back, grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her toward the door. "Everyone goes to number one. Planet of the coffee shops. Apalapucia! I give you sunsets, spires, soaring, silver colonnades. I give you…"

He opened the door to reveal sterile, white surroundings and—

"Doors," Rory blurted as Olivia frowned at the Doctor in wonder.

"Doors. Yes, I give you doors," he retorted stepping out of the TARDIS with Rory and Olivia. "But on the other side of those doors, I give you sunsets, spires, soaring, silver colonnades."

"Have you seen my phone?" Amy asked from the doorway of the TARDIS, drawing their attention to her.

"Your phone?" the Doctor frowned, approaching her. "You mobile telephone. I bring you to a paradise planet two billion light-years from Earth and _you_ want to update…twitter?"

"Sunsets, spires, soaring, silver colonnades. It's a _camera_ phone," Amy retorted.

"On the counter by the DVDs," he nearly sneered.

"Oh! I forgot my Sonic!" Olivia called, rushing toward the door as Amy thanked the Doctor and stepped back in as well. "Be back in a sec."

"Hurry up, you two!" the Doctor called as Olivia stopped next to him to press a kiss to his cheek before hurrying inside and looking around the control room.

"Now I _know_ you gave me a new one," she murmured to the TARDIS, looking around the seats. "I just can't remember—There it is!"

"Ready?" Amy called, heading back down the stairs with her phone.

"Ready," Olivia grinned, flipping her Sonic in the air before catching it and tucking it away in her jacket.

They both headed out the door, Olivia shutting the door behind them as Amy knocked on the door the men had gone through.

"Hey, it's locked," she called.

"Push the button," Rory called back as Olivia stepped forward and glanced at the panel next to the door with a green anchor and a red waterfall.

"Which button?" Olivia wondered, but before she could ask the Doctor or Rory, Amy pushed the Red Waterfall.

The door slid open to reveal a room with a glass table, three chairs and a huge magnifying glass standing on the table.

"Rory?" Amy called as she stepped in, Olivia right next to her.

"We should try the other one," Olivia suggested but when she turned to head out of the room the door slid shut. "Lovely."

Olivia pulled out her Sonic Screwdriver and ran it over the edge of the door to open it but it remained shut, making her frown before she looked to her Sonic.

"Deadlocked," she ground out. "Great."

"Hey, Olivia, look at this," Amy called, making her turn to watch Amy sit in one of the chairs in front of the magnifying glass, flicking it and jumping when she heard Rory's voice and saw the Doctor's image as Olivia stepped behind her.

"_What do you mean, you found them?_" Rory asked as Olivia leaned next to Amy just as Rory came into the image in the glass. "_But they're not here! I can see them but they're not here_."

Olivia, the Doctor and Amy looked around the glass, but Olivia and Amy didn't see the Doctor on the other side as they thought they would.

"Where are we?" Amy asked. "In fact, where are _you_?"

"This is _way_ too Alice in Wonderland for me," Olivia blurted before they heard a door open on the Doctor and Rory's end and they could barely make out a robot entering the room, a hand raised.

"_Hand!_" the Doctor blurted. "_Hello, hand. Robot with hands, Rory_."

"_Welcome to the Two Streams Facility_," the robot greeted. "_Will you be visiting long?_"

The screen started to glitch with static and Olivia called, "Doctor, something's happening!"

"_Liv?! Amy?!_" the Doctor called, starting to work on the flickering image. "_Stay calm. Stay still!_"

The screen blipped off, making the girls stare at it in growing panic.

"Olivia! Do something!" Amy urged as Olivia pulled out her Sonic.

"Alright, just give me a second," Olivia assured her as she tried the Sonic but it did nothing to the glass. The image remained bare. "Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor?"

"Why didn't the Sonic work?" Amy wondered, frowning up at her.

"Maybe everything on this side is deadlocked," Olivia guessed, lifting a hand to run it through her hair before sitting next to Amy. "Just watch the glass. I have to concentrate."

"What are you doing?" Amy wondered.

"I'm gonna try and talk to him through telepathy. Watch the glass and tell me if they come back."

Amy nodded as Olivia began twirling her Psychic Band on her left ring finger, closing her eyes to concentrate on finding him.

Nothing. It was almost like their bond had never existed. There was nothing for her mind to grasp and hold on to. Her eyes shot open, her face reflecting panic.

"I can't—" she choked, making Amy look to her in wonder, but she only stared ahead. "I can't find it. The bond's not there. This is…impossible!"

"So what do we do now?" Amy wondered as Olivia sat back in the chair in shock.

"I guess, we wait for the Doctor."

* * *

_A Week Later..._

Amy squatted in a corner as Olivia rested her head on the table where she sat in front of the magnifying glass.

"A week," Amy growled. "Where are they?!"

"I don't know," Olivia grumbled, her voice muffled by her arms wrapped around her head.

"_It's ok_," the Doctor's voice suddenly came from the glass, making Olivia's head shoot up to stare at it as it flickered on. "_I've got you. You're fine_."

"Doctor!" Olivia grinned as Amy looked up from her spot.

"_Will you be visiting long?_" the robot asked again.

"_Doctor, a little help, Doctor!_" Rory called.

"And where have you been?" Amy demanded in a low tone as Olivia only stared at the image.

"_What do I tell it?!_" Rory questioned the Doctor.

"_Will you be visiting long?_"

"We have been here a week!" Amy snapped, standing to look into the glass.

"_A week?!_" the Doctor screamed.

"_A week?!_" Rory screamed as well.

"_I'm so sorry_," the Doctor began before explaining, "_Aha! Same room, two different times…two different timestreams running parallel, but at different speeds._"

"We're in a faster timestream," Olivia realized just before his image blurred. "No!"

"Doctor, it's going again!" Amy explained.

"_Liv, use the Sonic!_"

"I can't, it doesn't work!"

"_Well it worked on my end!_"

"This side must be deadlocked then, because it didn't work!"

A moment later the image returned to normal.

"_There. Stabilized. Settled. Shh!_"

"_Why has this got hands?_" Rory asked the Doctor as the girls watched them.

"_Organic skin_," the Doctor explained, stepping toward the robot holding its hand up to Rory. "_Ultimate universal interface. Grown and grafted. Not born. I mean it's actually seeing with its fingers. Scanning the room. But why not just give it eyes?_"

"_Will you be visiting long?_"

"_As long as it takes_," the Doctor told the robot before he stepped back toward the glass to ask the girls, "_What exactly did you do?_"

"We came in and I pressed the door button," Amy replied.

"_Amy, there are two buttons_," Rory explained. "_The Green Anchor and the Red Waterfall. Which one did you push?_"

"She pushed the Red Waterfall," Olivia sighed, rubbing her temple as she felt an impending headache coming on. They saw Rory head for the door as Amy sat back in her chair and Olivia leaned forward on the table. "Doctor, I tried to talk to you telepathically but it wouldn't work. It was like…you didn't even exist."

"_Two timestreams_," the Doctor explained. "_You'd already moved forward when you tried to contact me. You can't contact the past through telepathy_."

"_I pressed Red Waterfall and she wasn't there!_" Rory shouted as he reentered the room.

"_Ok, so we can't follow them directly_," the Doctor observed. "_You know, it's never simple! Did you hear that, Handbot? She pressed the wrong button, that's all. We're aliens! We didn't know!_"

"_Statement…_" the Handbot replied and after a paused the red light on its chest lit up as it said, "_rejected. Apalapucia is under planetwide quarantine. This is a kindness facility for those infected with Chen _7."

The Doctor grabbed the lapel of his coat and covered his face, making Rory do the same with his jacket as Amy and Olivia covered their noses and mouths with their hands.

"_What?_" Rory asked.

"_Chen 7_," the Doctor repeated. "_The One Day plague._"

"_What, you…you get it for a day?_"

"_No, you get it and you die in a day_."

"_There are forty thousand residents in the Two Streams Facility_," the Handbot continued. "_Please remain in the sterile areas. Visiting hours are now._"

The Hanbot disappeared and the girls lowered their hands from their mouths when they saw the Doctor and Rory lower their jackets.

"_Sterile area_," the Doctor breathed as he sat in front of the glass. "_I'm safe_."

"What about us?!" Amy snapped, tapping on the glass as he sat down.

"_Chen 7 only effect __two-hearted__ races, like Apalapucians_," he explained.

"And Time Lords," Olivia breathed in panic.

"_Yeah, like me. Walk into that facility, I'm dead in a day. Liv, time is faster on your side of the glass. Amy, you said you'd been here a week. What did you two eat?_"

Amy and Olivia glanced at each other in thought before Amy answered.

"Nothing," she replied. "I wasn't hungry."

"Neither was I," Olivia frowned in wonder.

"_No, because all that Red Waterfall time is compressed_," the Doctor realized. "_That's the point of the Time Glass. It syncs up the two timestreams for visits. You could be in here for a day and watch them live out their entire lives._"

"_And watch them grow old in front of your eyes_," Rory realized. "_That's horrible_."

"_No, Rory, it's kind. You've got a choice: Sit by their bedside for twenty-four hours and watch them die, or sit in __here__ for twenty-four hours and watch them __live__. Which would you choose?_"

The Doctor lifted the glass from its stand, making it completely disappear in front of Amy and Olivia.

"Doctor!" Amy called, feeling at the stand before leaning forward to hold her head in her hands. "Doctor, no. Don't leave us."

"_I'm here, girls_," they heard his voice sooth, making Olivia shoot her gaze around the room in wonder. "_I'm right here_."

"Where are you?" Olivia asked before stilling and asked, "Are we looking at you?"

"_Turn left just a fraction_," he instructed, making both of them turn. "_Bit more_." They obeyed. "_Stop. That's it_."

"Eye to eye?" Amy wondered.

"_Eye to eye to eye…to eye_."

"You always forget about me," Olivia pouted.

"_Liv, stop it. Girls, I'm taking the Time Glass back to the TARDIS, like a satnav. I can use it to get a lock on you, then smash through using the TARDIS, to get you out. Until then…you're on your own._"

He used the Sonic on it, making Rory ask, "_What are you doing?_"

"_Locking it on to the girls. Small act of vandalism. No one will mind._"

An alarm suddenly blared, making both girls shake their heads in exasperation.

"_Ah! That would be the small-act-of-vandalism alarm. Girls, I need you to go into the facility, just for a bit. Find somewhere safe and leave me a sign. Remember, you're immune to Chen 7, but don't let them give you anything. They don't know you're alien. Their kindness will kill you. Now, go_."

Amy stepped toward the door opposite the way they'd gone in and pressed the Check-in button, but Olivia stepped toward the glass floating in the air where the Doctor held it on his end. She pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers and pressed it to the glass, touching the image of the Doctor's lips.

"For luck," she smiled and he nodded with a sad smile before she followed Amy who turned in the doorway.

"Rory," Amy called. "I love you. Now save me."

The doors closed, truly separating them from the ones they loved.

* * *

_In the TARDIS..._

"This is locked on to them permanently," the Doctor explained, hooking the Time Glass up to the console. "Play the signal into the console, the TARDIS will follow it."

He plugged something in and the console sparked before he hurried toward a drawer of the console to rummage through it.

"Now, then, I know you're in here. Ha ha!"

The Doctor stood to look at Rory wearing thick-framed glasses and grinned, "How do I look?!"

"Ridiculous," Rory blurted.

"Glasses are cool, see?" the Doctor grinned, taking them off to put them on Rory. "Hello, handsome man."

"Hello," Rory smiled in embarrassment.

"Rorycam!" the Doctor grinned, pointing to the screens on the wall of the TARDIS and Rory turned to see them as well.

"Oh! You can see what I see," he realized.

"We're breaking in to Two Streams," the Doctor explained. "Now, I can't go in there. The Chen 7 will kill me. No regeneration. You will be my eyes and ears."

"Rorycam. Rescue Amy."

"And Olivia."

"Got it."

"That's the spirit. Now smashing through a timewall could get a bit hairy."

"Is it safe?"

"Don't know. Never tried. Best hold on to something."

The Doctor began flying the TARDIS and looked up, expecting to see Olivia helping him, but both his hearts sank when he recalled where she was.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Two Streams..._

Amy and Olivia walked through the facility until they reached a lobby, everything sterile and pristine. So sterile and pristine it was unnatural to Olivia.

"This place gives me the creeps," she muttered.

"You're not the only one," Amy agreed.

They were suddenly stopped by a bright light aimed at them from the ceiling.

"_Welcome to the Two Streams Facility_," a feminine voice greeted and the light disappeared.

"Who are you and why can't we see you?" Amy asked, looking around the ceiling.

"_I am the interface between yourselves and the systems of the Two Streams facility_," the voice replied, the light returning every time it spoke. "_I will be your guide, your teacher, your friend._"

"Oh, yeah. That's not creepy at all," Olivia nodded, sardonically.

"Welcome to Two Streams," another voice called, making them turn to the desks lining the wall where a woman appeared on a screen behind it grinned at them. "What are your names, please?"

"Amy," Amy replied, warily. "Amy Pond."

"Olivia Felton," Olivia answered with a frown.

"Welcome Amy Pond. Welcome Olivia Felton. Are you traveling together?"

"Yes," Olivia replied.

"As residents, you will now have access to all of the entertainment zones inside. For a taste of adventure, why not try the mountain zone and explore Apalapucia's famous glass-mirror mountains. Or try our rollercoaster zone, authentically modeled on the famous Warp-Speed Death ride at Disneyland, Klom. All that you could wish for and more is through the departure gate, provided for you with kindness."

"Wow," Olivia blurted as the image faded and Amy led her through the departure gate. "Billions of lightyears from Earth in the future and recordings are _still_ annoying."

"Some things never change," Amy replied, heading up a set of stairs, both wandering around. They soon spotted a Handbot on one of the floors and Amy hurried after it. "Hello? Hey! Oi! Wait."

"Amy, I wouldn't," Olivia warned, hurrying after her and the Handbot moved its hand through the air as they stopped in front of it.

"You are carrying unregistered bacteria. Please let me help you."

The panel on its chest came down to reveal a syringe-like device.

"No, we're not from this world," Amy tried as they both backed away from the Handbot. "Your medicine will kill us."

"Statement rejected. Do not be alarmed. This is a kindness."

"God, I hate needles!" Olivia growled, grabbing Amy's arm and pulling her around the thing to find cover behind a huge bin.

"Secondary delivery system engaged," the Handbot announced as its head opened to aim a dart shooter at the girls.

"Amy! Look out!" Olivia shouted as she pulled her back, two needles shooting at them and sticking into the corner of the bin. More Handbots appeared and started hobbling toward them.

"Unauthorized infection on check-in. Version 223."

Amy and Olivia climbed over the low wall next to the bin and into a hallway with stairs as an alarm blared. They hurried down the stairs into the underbelly of the facility and the Handbots followed as Olivia reached into her jacket pocket for her Sonic Screwdriver. She aimed it at one of the Handbots and it sparked, shutting down but there were others still after them.

"Come on!" Amy called as Olivia used her Sonic on another one and Amy grabbed her arm to pull her behind some cover. They ducked behind it and waited for a moment before peeking around it only to find a hand aimed at them. They both bolted out from behind the cover and ran around what looked like an exhaust vent only to be stopped by more Handbots.

"Over here!" Amy shouted, dragging Olivia toward the vent and they both pulled off one of the screens to get in. Amy tried to climb up or find a way farther up, but Olivia kept her eyes on the Handbots which started searching with their hands again.

"No residents detected," one of them said, making Amy stop and Olivia watched as they moved away.

"They didn't see us," Amy gasped for air, watching the Handbots move away.

"_How_ didn't they see us?" Olivia wondered, neither one of them moving from their protected spot.

They watched the Handbots disappear completely before chancing to head out of the vent they were hiding in. They ran out from the underbelly of the facility and made sure they weren't being followed, ducking Handbots before they came to a room with seven doors and a short console with seven buttons.

"Interface?" Amy called.

"_I am here, Amy Pond_," Interface replied, shining the light in her face.

"Turn that light off!" Amy ordered, and the light disappeared as Olivia went to the console, using her Sonic on it. "So, um, what is this? How does it work?"

"_This is the Gate. From here you may depart to any of Two Stream's entertainment zones._"

Olivia pressed one of the buttons as Amy came up to her.

"_Cinema_," a voice announced before she pressed another button. "_Aquarium_."

"Nice," she nodded before pressing another button.

"_Garden_."

"Garden?" Amy echoed and Olivia looked to her in question. "Why not?"

Amy nodded and Olivia pressed the button again, and the door next to them shifted until it stilled and the girls ran through the door. The garden was full of trees and bushes in strange designs with an Ancient Rome feel to the architecture.

"Well, it's beautiful," Amy nodded in awe.

"Ok, seriously, Alice in Wonderland," Olivia replied. "I keep expecting a white rabbit to run past me in a waistcoat holding a pocket watch."

"_The perfect replica of the Shill Governor's mansion on Shillana_," Interface explained.

"Well, since they're famous," Olivia shrugged, looking around the garden. "You really could spend a lifetime here."

"Not that we're going to," Amy added before they began wandering.

"Hey, Interface?" Olivia called.

"_Olivia Felton?_"

"We need to hide somewhere safe while we wait for our friends."

"_Two Streams is a safe, nurturing environment_."

"Ok, let's try it this way: Is there a place we can hide from the _Handbots_?"

Interface remained silent making Amy sigh in exasperation before she asked, "Ok, before we stood in a sort of vent, and there was light and smoke and the Handbots couldn't see us. Why not?"

Interface remained silent still.

"Ok, I will put it another way: What were those vent thingies?"

"_The vents channel the exhaust fumes from the temporal engines that hold the multiple timestreams in place_."

"And these temporal engines mess up the Handbots sensors. So where's the temporal engines?"

An image of a door appeared in front of them as Interface answered, "_Temporal engines held within_."

"Amy!"

Amy gasped when she turned to see a Handbot coming toward Olivia then turned to see another Handbot coming toward herself. They moved out from between them and the Handbot's hands touched each other, making their hands spark and they both shut down.

"What happened?" Amy frowned in wonder.

"Hear that?" Olivia asked, listening to the high pitched whine that faded away after a moment. "Feedback. Messes them up. Let's get to those engines."

They hurried out of the garden and through the facility until they reached the door Interface had showed them with the temporal engines behind them.

"Go check it out, I'll leave the sign," Olivia told Amy, letting her inside the doors.

She glanced around to be sure the Handbots didn't come after them as she used a red pen to write 'Doctor, we're waiting' and an arrow pointing at the handle of the door. She nodded once she was finished and sighed, "Please hurry, my love."

She opened the door and hurried inside to find Amy.

* * *

**A/N:** i was struggling with myself to figure out if i should put Olivia and Amy together or have her help Rory and the Doctor find Amy...i chose this route. reviews?


	24. Waiting

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 24: Waiting**_

Rory held tightly to the timeglass as he stepped out of the TARDIS door, the Doctor remaining at the console to watch the Rorycam.

"Red Waterfall," Rory sighed in relief, seeing the symbol on the walls of the room they'd landed in. "We made it!"

"_Good on us_," the Doctor replied as Rory shut the door.

"How do we know that we're in the same Red Waterfall as Amy and Olivia?"

"_Focus on the positive_," the Doctor replied through the Rorycam as Rory stared at a statue with no arms and a naked bust. "_We locked on to their timestream. Eyes front, soldier!_"

"Right, yes, sorry," Rory sputtered before heading farther into the gallery.

"_Apalapacians are the great cultural scavengers, Rory_," the Doctor explained. "_This gallery's a scrapbook of all their favorite places._"

"Bit of Earth," Rory noticed, looking at the Mona Lisa before looking at a strange looking sculpture. "Bit of alien. Bit of…" He stared at a tall sculpture that was leaking purple ooze. "…whatever the hell that is. Where is everyone?"

"_Rory, switch the timeglass on and Sonic it. I'm sending a command signal to the screwdriver. Amy and Olivia are here, somewhere, if I can just get a lock on them. I wonder what happens if we mix the filters_."

Rory obeyed and looked through the glass to see ghostly figures passing through it, their voices overlapping.

"_And there they are_," the Doctor replied. "_Forty thousand timestreams, overlapping. Red Waterfall isn't one timestream. It's __thousands__._"

"Are they happy?" Rory wondered.

"_Oh, Rory, trust you to think of that. I think they're happy to be alive. Better than the alternative._"

Rory lowered the glass to find a sword coming at his face, a figure in battle clothes behind it.

"I come in peace!" Rory shouted, backing up and crying out in surprise when he backed into someone else that pulled a huge stick up across his chest to hold him still. "Peace! Peace! Peace!"

Both figures froze, the one with the sword still pointing it at him, the one with the stick loosening its grip.

"I waited," the figure in front of him said in a distorted voice.

"S-Sorry, what?" Rory sputtered.

"I waited for you," the figure said again, pulling the sword away and lifting the visor it wore to reveal a familiar face…aged.

"Amy," Rory gasped before the figure behind him shoved him forward and stepped around him, lifting its own visor to reveal Olivia…aged as well. "Olivia. Doctor, what's going on?"

"_Uh, I think the timestream lock might be a bit wobbly_," the Doctor admitted.

Amy lifted her sword, making Rory lift his hands in surrender.

"No, please, please!"

"Rory! Out of the way!" Olivia shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him to one side as Amy thrust her sword into the head of the Handbot behind him. It fell back, dead and Olivia let go of Rory's arm to kneel next to it, pulling something from her one of her pockets.

"The Handbots carry a black box in case they go offline," Amy explained kneeling on the other side of the bot to watch Olivia use her Sonic on it.

"I'm changing the cause of termination from 'Hostile' to 'Accidental'," Olivia explained. "They're easy to reprogram with the Sonic."

"I use my Sonic Probe when I take them out," Amy added, taking something from her belt and sticking it inside the Handbot.

"Amy," Rory breathed, making her turn to him.

"Rory," she nodded.

"Why?"

"Because the only way we've survived this long is by making the Handbots think we don't exist."

"Don't touch the hands," Olivia advised, standing tall. "There's anesthetic in the skin. Knocks you out if you touch them."

"But you're still here," Rory observed, confused as Amy stood and turned to him.

"You didn't save me," she retorted, making Rory glance between her and Olivia before Amy marched back toward the exit of the gallery.

"But _this_ is the saving!" Rory explained, hurrying after her as Olivia trailed behind. "This is us saving the both of you! The Doctor just got the _timing_ a bit out!"

"We've been on our own a long, long time," Amy began as Rory stepped in front of her. "I've had decades to think nice thoughts about him. Got a bit harder to stay charitable once I entered decade four."

"Forty years?" Rory realized. "Just the two of you?"

"Thirty-six years," Amy replied, fiddling with her hair as she muttered, "Thanks."

"No, right," Rory sputtered. "I mean…you look great. Really, really."

"Eyes front, soldier" Olivia smirked, stepping next to Amy.

"Still can't win, then," Rory scoffed.

"In fact, I think I can now definitely say I hate him," Amy continued, stepping around Rory, Olivia following her. "I hate the Doctor. I hate him more than I've ever hated anyone in my life. And you can hear every word of this through those ridiculous glasses, can't you, raggedy man?"

"_Uh…yes_," the Doctor replied. "_Putting the speakerphone on_."

"You told us to wait, and we did," Amy continued. "A lifetime."

"_Amy—!_"

"You've got nothing to say to me."

"_Liv! Behind you!_"

Olivia and Amy spun around to see two Handbots coming toward them and Olivia ran between them to make them face each other, making their hands touch. They stopped and bowed forward, knocked out.

"Learned that on the first day," Olivia smirked. "The feedback knocks them out."

Amy marched toward the exit, Rory hurrying after her with Olivia following.

"Ok, so, we just take the TARDIS back to the right timestream, yeah?" Rory asked the Doctor. "We can stop any of this happening."

"_We locked on to a timestream, Rory_," the Doctor replied. "_This is it._"

"This is so wrong," Rory stated, still following Amy around the facility.

"I got _old_, Rory," Amy snapped. "What did you think was going to happen?"

"Hey," Rory shot back, reaching forward to grab her arm, and Olivia walked around them, stopping at the door they were heading toward. "I don't care that you got old, I care that we didn't grow old together. Amy, come on. Please."

"Don't touch me," Amy muttered, pulling back from him. "Don't do that."

"It's like you're not even her," Rory observed.

"We've been here thirty-six years, three months, and four days," Olivia told him as Amy stopping next to a door with red smudged on it.

"This facility was built to give people a chance to live," Amy added. "We walked in here and we died. Do you have anything to say? Anything, _Doctor_?"

"_Where did you get a Sonic Screwdriver, Amy?_" the Doctor wondered in astonishment.

"I made it, with Olivia's help," Amy replied. "And it's a Sonic _Probe_."

"You made a Sonic Screwdriver?" Rory wondered.

"_Probe_," Amy ground out before turning to head through the door, Rory following, and just as Olivia was about to head after the two, she was stopped when she felt a presence she thought she'd never feel again in her mind.

"_Liv..._" the Doctor's voice rang in her head, making her freeze and stare wide eyes ahead at the door.

"_Theta?_" she called back and sighed. "_My love…is that really you?_"

"_So you still love me?_"

"_Of course, you idiot. I've never stopped loving you. I never gave up hope that you'd come for us. It was hard but…I never let you go_."

Olivia hurried through the doors to head toward her's and Amy's hiding place in the temporal engines, finding Rory examining the Handless Handbot named Rory.

"_Olivia Felton: The Girl Who Never Let Me Go._"

"_Better believe it._"

"Oh, don't get sentimental," Amy snapped at Rory. "It's just a robot. You'd have done the same."

"_I don't know that I would've_," the Doctor shot back from Rory's glasses.

"And there he is, the voice of God," Amy shot back. "Survive because no one's gonna come for you. Number one lesson. You taught me that."

"Is that _all_ he taught you, Amy?" Olivia shot back, marching toward her.

"Don't lecture me, starry-eyed girl, flying through time and space with your blue-box man on whimsy," Amy ground out at her then turned to Rory to speak to the Doctor through the glasses. "All I've got, all I've _had_, for thirty-six years, is cold, hard reality. So, no, I don't have a Sonic Screwdriver, because I'm not off on a romp. I call it what it is, a probe, and I call my life what it is…hell."

"_Liv, Amy Pond, I'm going to put this right_," the Doctor promised. "_You said you learned from an interface. Can I speak with it?_"

"It doesn't work in here," Olivia replied as Amy looked to her watch.

"2:23," she announced. "The garden will be clear now. Stay or go?"

"Sorry, me?" Rory wondered then replied. "No, I'm coming with you."

"Then try not to get killed. Or do. Whatever," Amy sputtered before heading toward the door.

Olivia gave a small laugh as she passed Rory who hurried to catch up with her.

"Why is she like this?" Rory asked Olivia. "It's not _my_ fault."

"She knows that," Olivia replied. "She's not angry with you."

"But why is she acting this way?"

"She hit him with a cricket bat when he came back after twelve years, what did you _think_ she was gonna be like after thirty-six?"

"Ah, you have a point."

"I'm talking to you, too, Doctor."

"_Yes, yes, I heard. Duly noted, Liv._"

The girls led Rory to the garden, stopping under an awning before Amy spoke.

"When we first came here, we had to trick the interface into giving us information," she explained. "We reprogrammed it now. It'll tell us anything, except how to escape."

"The one thing we'd _like_ to know," Olivia muttered.

"You hacked it?" Rory wondered. "That's genius."

"_Sorry to interrupt that beautiful moment, but temporal engines like that have a regulator valve. It has to be kept at a distance from the main reactor, of there'd be feedback._"

"Interface, where's the regulator?" Olivia asked.

"_The regulator valve is held within_," Interface replied, displaying a blueprint of it.

"_Oh, very, very… Interface, I need to run through some technical specifications. Rory, give me to Amy a minute_."

"Why not Olivia?" Rory wondered.

"Give him to Amy," Olivia nodded, seeming to understand why and Rory pulled the glasses off to hand them to Amy.

"Here you go," he nodded before she took the glasses and placed them over her eyes, Olivia trying to hold back her smile at the way they looked on her.

"They look ridiculous," Amy voiced.

"That's what I told him," Rory replied. "Still, anything beats a fez, eh?"

The three of them laughed, making Amy look to Rory as Olivia took that as her cue to head toward the steps leading to the trail through the garden.

"What is it?" Rory wondered as Olivia stood guard.

"I think that's the first time I've laughed in thirty-six years," Amy admitted.

"I'll just, um…leave you two geniuses alone. Go have a chat with Olivia," Rory sputtered before heading toward her and Olivia looked over her shoulder at Amy.

"I'll be on patrol," she reported and Amy nodded. "Come on, Rory."

Olivia headed down the trail, Rory following after her.

"So how come you're not so different?" he wondered, but she didn't look at him as she glanced around the garden.

"When the Doctor left me the first time for four years and I waited for him, I thought he'd forgotten about me," she explained, still walking along. "When he came back, I slapped him in the face. But I soon realized that he didn't forget about me. Time is different for him. Thirty-six years for me is the blink of an eye to him. I never gave up hope or faith in him all these years."

"So you're saying Amy gave up on me," Rory guessed, making Olivia stop and turn to him, stopping him with a hand to his shoulder.

"No, Rory," she shook her head. "She gave up on the _Doctor_. Take it from me, she'd never give up on the man she loves. Her pride is getting the better of her. She doesn't want to admit she missed you."

"That's Amy," Rory scoffed, before he frowned at the doorway to his right, making Olivia follow his gaze. "How can you have a door without a wall?"

"That's the gate," Olivia explained as he stepped toward the door. "It leads to other entertainment gateways. Rory, wait—!"

Rory smacked into the invisible wall on one side of the door, making Olivia give a small giggle before she turned.

"Rory! Look out!" she called before using her huge stick to hit the head off of the Handbot approaching her, but one got past her and touched Rory on the neck, knocking him out. She turned to stop it but saw Amy out of the corner of her eye as she ran past her and sliced the head of it off with her sword before kneeling next to Rory.

"Rory. Rory," Amy urged as Olivia looked around for more Handbots.

"Glasses," Rory blurted as he awoke.

"Stupid!" Amy snapped at him as she stood and Olivia helped Rory sit up.

"You saved me," he realized.

"Don't get used to it," she shot back.

"You've been crying. A little bit."

"Shut up, Rory."

"You have, haven't you?"

"Woman with a sword, don't push it."

Olivia smirked at the scene, seeing the old Amy coming back.

"_Ok, so, here's the plan_," the Doctor began as Amy gave the glasses back to Rory. "_Time is always a bit wibbly-wobbly, but in Two Streams, it's extra wobbly. I've worked out a way to hijack the temporal engines and use them to hold two points of the girls' timelines together. We're bringing them out of the then and into the now! Girls, I just need to borrow your brains for a minute. It won't hurt…probably, __almost__ probably and then, Amy Pond, Olivia Felton, I'm gonna save you two._"

"No!" Amy snapped, making Rory and Olivia frown at her in disbelief as her Sonic Probe beeped. "Time's up. Handbots coming."

She turned to head into the doorway, Olivia and Rory right behind her.

"Amy, we have to help them save us," Olivia ground out as she marched on.

"_I need you both to think back thirty-six years ago_," the Doctor explained just as they reached the door and Amy marched through the door, not responding as Olivia and Rory watched her.

"You told them to leave us a sign," Rory said, lifting the glass to look at the smudging on the door where Olivia had written their message, which he could read through the glass. 'Doctor, we're waiting'

"We did," Olivia murmured, making Rory look to her but she only stared at the door. "We waited. But I'm _done_ waiting."

Olivia pushed through the doors, Rory right behind her to catch up with Amy.

"Why won't you help us?!" Olivia snapped.

"He wants to rescue past us from thirty-six years back, which means we'll cease to exist," Amy shot back as they rounded into their hiding place. "Everything we've seen and done dissolves. Time is rewritten."

"That's good, isn't it?" Rory wondered, making Amy turn to him and Olivia.

"We will die," she explained. "Another Amy will take my place, another Olivia will take yours, an Amy and Olivia who never got trapped in Two Streams, an Amy who grew old with you, Rory, an Olivia who grew old with the Doctor and they, in thirty-six years, will not be us."

"But you'll die in here!" Rory shouted.

"Not if you take us with you. You came to rescue us, so rescue us."

"Leave them and take the two of you?"

"Amy, you're not being fair," Olivia ground out.

"_We could take this Amy and this Olivia with us, easy, but if we do, our Amy and…our Olivia have to wait thirty-six years to be rescued_," the Doctor explained.

"So I have to choose," Rory breathed. "Which wife do I want?"

"She is me," Amy reminded him. "We're both me."

"You being here is wrong!" Rory snapped. "For a single day, an hour, let alone a lifetime. I swore to protect you, Amy. I promised."

Amy marched through the overhanging drapes, and Olivia wasted no time before she followed her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Olivia ground out at Amy as she stood near her cot and Olivia marched toward her. "Why are you being so selfish?!"

"You know how this works," Amy shot back. "Back then, our futures refused to help us, so now _we_ have to refuse to help our pasts. Paradox."

"I don't recall seeing myself as a wrinkly old bag refusing to help myself!"

"You want another Olivia to take your place with the Doctor?!"

"Yes!"

Amy frowned at Olivia in disbelief, but Olivia continued.

"I would _gladly_ swap these thirty-six years _here_ for thirty-six years with the Doctor. At least then I'd be happy, and none of this will have happened. _That's_ what you're refusing to see, Amy. And I swear, if you screw this up, if you do this and make me miss out on those thirty-six years I could've had with him, then you've declared war, and this facility will be our battleground. Now, you think about it…do you _really_ wanna be my enemy?"

Amy glared at Olivia just as Rory entered and Olivia turned to march out of the hiding place to pace outside.

"_Olivia?_" she heard the Doctor in her mind.

"_Theta, do me a favor_," she replied without hesitation.

"_Anything, darling_."

"_When we save the past me—which I know we will, because I'm not gonna let Amy say no—talk to her like this, first thing, please?_"

"_You don't have to say please, my love. Of course I will._"

"_Good. I want you to have the past me, Theta. The younger, prettier me._"

"_I saw you through the glasses, Liv. You're gorgeous._"

"_Liar._"

"_Not to you, Liv. Never to you_."

She was brought out her mind when Rory stepped up next to her, making her frown in wonder.

"Where's Amy?" she asked.

"In there," he replied. "Talking to herself."

Olivia nodded in understanding, pacing in front of Rory as he watched her.

"You pace like him," he noticed, making her glance at him, but she didn't stop.

"I do that when I haven't seen him for a while," she smirked. "It makes me feel close to him when I pick up his habits."

She stopped to lift the glasses she found from the floor and handed them to Rory. A moment later, Amy came back out, her eyes fixed on Rory.

"I'm gonna pull time apart for you," she said before stepping toward him and gently pressing her lips to his and Rory hugged her as Olivia looked awkward.

"Doctor, Two Streams is back on air," Olivia smirked as Amy led them toward the regulator valve.

"Right, ok, so this is big news," Amy reported. "This is temporal earthquake time. We are now officially changing our own futures. Hold on to your spectacles. In my past I saw my future self refuse to help you. I am now changing that future and agreeing. Every law of time says that shouldn't be possible."

"_Yes, except sometimes knowing your own future is what enables you to change it, especially if you're bloody minded, contradictory, and completely unpredictable._"

"So basically if you're the two of them," Rory retorted.

"_Yes, if anyone could defeat predestiny, it's our wives_," the Doctor replied.

"It's not about what I'm doing," Amy said, stopping next to the valve. "I'm trusting you to watch my back, Rory."

"Always," Rory nodded. "You and me, always."

"_And who's gonna watch out for Olivia, you two?!_" the Doctor snapped.

"I can take care of myself just fine, thanks, darling," Olivia smirked.

"Here's the deal," Amy continued, making them both frown at her in wonder. "You take us, too, in the TARDIS. Us, too."

"But that means there'd be two of each of you. Permanently, forever."

"And that way we both get to live."

"Amy, don't be ridiculous," Olivia snarled. "Doctor, you leave me here and you take my past self. I'm not gonna be apart of this deal."

"Two Amys together. Can that work?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"_I dunno, it's __your__ marriage_," the Doctor retorted.

"Doctor."

"_Perhaps. Maybe if I shunted the reality compensators on the TARDIS, recalibrated the doomsday bumpers, and jettisoned the karaoke bar, yes…maybe, yes. It could do it. The TARDIS could sustain the paradox._"

Olivia could hear it in his voice, and she knew it through her studies and her own experience…it couldn't be done.

"Right, Amy, and Amy," Rory nodded. "The wife and the wife. Right."

"_Ok, girls—past girls—stand by the door. Future girls, you too. Future Amy, can I borrow your Sonic Screw—Probe?_"

"It's a screwdriver," Amy retorted, handing it to Rory as Olivia pulled her Sonic out as well.

"_Rory, Sonic it. Triple our power._"

Rory obeyed before tossing it back to Amy.

"_Girls-now, you're our link to the girls-then. We need to get a signal through, and that signal will be a thought. Girls-now and girls-then, share a thought each, something so powerful that it can rip through time. Rory, Sonic the vent front. Inside you'll find three levers and a jumble of wire. That's the regulator valve. After we reroute it, you'll have ten minutes to get back to the TARDIS. Pull out the red and the green receptors. Reroute the blue into the red and the green into the blue. Leave the red loose, and, on no account, touch anything yellow._"

"Should I help him, darling?" Olivia called.

"_No, Liv, stay there. Rory can do it_," the Doctor called as Rory worked. "_Come on, Rory! It's hardly rocket science. It's just quantum physics!_"

"Yes, right, ok, blue into red," Rory muttered to himself as Amy and Olivia watched for Handbots.

"_And now the levers—throw them in order. And girls, start thinking the most important thought you have ever had. Hold it in your heads and do not let it go._"

Rory started throwing the levers as the girls started thinking.

"Macarena," Amy murmured.

"Barcelona," Olivia whispered.

"Amy's doing the Macarena," Rory reported. "Our first kiss."

"_What's Olivia saying?_"

"Barcelona?"

Rory threw the rest of the levers and soon past Amy and past Olivia materialized in front of future Amy and future Olivia. The girls stared at each other in shock.

"Oh, my God," the Amys said.

"Whoa," the Olivias murmured.

Rory came up behind Amy and hugged her as the Olivias only smiled at each other in wonder before Rory let Amy go and older Amy cleared her throat.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hello," younger Amy replied.

"I dunno what—" they said together, making both Olivias smirked at them.

"Weird," Rory breathed.

"Ok, this is weird. Right just stop doing that."

"How about Amy One speaks first?" Rory suggested.

"Which one's Amy One?" the Amys asked.

"Well—"

"I am. No, I am. Rory! Rory, just stop her doing that."

"You're Olivia One," younger Olivia told her future self.

"Thank you," older Olivia replied.

Rory's glasses sparked as feedback sounded from them.

"Rory! Glasses off!" Olivia Two ordered, hurrying toward him to snatch them off his face and toss them away. "Temporal feedback. We created a massive paradox."

"_And the TARDIS hates it!_" the Doctor added. "_She's still phasing, trying to get out of here. Rory, you've got eight minutes left. I'm sorry. You're on your own now_."

The glasses sparked again and Rory looked to the four girls.

"I'm not on my own," he assured himself. "I've got my wives…and his wives."

"Incoming!" Olivia One shouted, as a group of Handbots hobbled toward them.

"With me," older Amy, Amy One, ordered as Olivia One spun her stick in her hands before pulling out a dagger from her belt to toss it to Olivia Two, who caught it. Amy One handed Amy Two another stick strapped to her back. They fought their way through the Handbots, but more only appeared.

"They're cutting off the departure gate!" Rory called. "We can't get back to the TARDIS!"

"Side door," Amy One reported. "We'll go behind them."

"Now _this_ is a romp!" Olivia One grinned as they ran for the side door. "I've missed this."

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	25. Death

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 25: Death**_

"So you think you're gonna come with us, just like that?" Amy Two questioned as the pair of Amys, the pair of Olivias and Rory raced down the stairs of the facility.

"Yeah, just like that," Amy One retorted.

"Rory, talk to her."

"Rory, talk to her."

"Now, ladies," Rory pleaded as they continued on.

"Does she really think—?"

"Yup," Olivia One nodded, knowing what Olivia Two's question was.

"And the Doctor said—?"

"Yes, he did."

"What an idiot."

"I know."

"_Oi, stop talking about me_," the Doctor's voice rang in Olivia Two's head, making her stop at the bottom of the stairs.

"_Theta?!_" she thought with a grin.

"Come on!" Amy One called.

"I've got her," Olivia One assured them, grabbing Olivia Two's hand to drag her after them as she spoke to the Doctor.

"_Theta, are you __really__ gonna take both Amys?! You know the TARDIS can't sustain that big of a paradox!_"

"_I try to be romantic and caring by contacting you the first chance I get and you give me a scolding?_"

"_Theta, old Amy is gonna go mental._"

"_I know._"

"Where are you gonna live?" Amy Two questioned as they continued through the underbelly of the facility.

"Not with _you_," Amy One retorted. "Don't worry. I'll go traveling, pop back for Christmas, maybe Easter."

"Amy, you always say, cooking Christmas dinner, you wish there were two of you," Rory recalled as they found the departure gate and both Olivia's pulled out their Sonics to use it to lock the door, but they smirked at each other as Olivia One stepped back toward Rory and the Amys to let Olivia Two lock it. "Can't we just teleport in?"

"It's not a teleport," Amy One explained as Olivia One leaned over the console of buttons. "It's a time jump."

"We can't jump within the same timestream," Amy Two added.

"Yes."

"The TARDIS is in the gallery," Rory reported as the Handbots started pounding on the door.

"_Gallery closed_," Interface said.

"The controls aren't responding," Olivia One ground out, pressing the buttons. "It's stuck. Locked from the outside."

"Can you unlock them?" Rory asked as Amy One stepped toward the console.

"Yeah, give me a minute and your cutest smile," she smirked, making Olivia One step away with her hands raised as Olivia Two rolled her eyes as Rory chuckled at her. "That's the one."

"Can you stop flirting with me?" Rory pleaded with Amy One. "You're old enough to be my—"

"I've known you my whole life. How many games of doctors and nurses? Don't get coy now."

"We have a problem!" Olivia Two called as all the doors suddenly opened and Handbots hobbled in through each one of them. Rory used the Sonic on the button leading to the gallery and the door opened, letting them all run through. Future Amy and Olivia went in fighting as Rory and the other girls ran around the Handbots as others dropped around them as their future selves cleared the way.

"Come on!" Rory called when he and past Olivia and Amy were ahead.

"Go!" Amy One shouted. "We've got your back!"

They were nearly to the TARDIS when one of the Handbots surprised Amy Two and touched her neck, sending her to the floor, unconscious. Rory hurried toward her and lifted her as Olivia Two used the dagger and her Sonic to take out the Handbots around them.

"Get her to the TARDIS!" she told Rory. "I've got you covered!"

"Amy! Look out!" Olivia One shouted at Amy One, shoving her out of the way to take the dart that had been shot at Amy in the neck.

"No!" Amy shouted before slicing through the last Handbot with her sword then hurried toward Olivia as she sank to the floor, holding her neck.

Olivia Two opened the door of the TARDIS to let Rory carry Amy Two inside, laying her on the floor as the Doctor hurried toward them to place his long coat over Amy and look her over.

"It's just an anesthetic. She'll be fine," he assured Rory before hurrying to the door to see Amy One sitting with Olivia One reclined back against her.

"There he is," Olivia One smiled, weakly, the medicine running through her system killing her slowly. "My Doctor. My Highwayman. He's standing there in that blue box…and there I am, right next to him."

"Olivia, you can't die," Amy shuddered. "We're going with them."

"No, I'm not," Olivia breathed, looking up at her with glazed eyes. "And neither are you."

Amy frowned before looking up at the Doctor who was staring at them, and she could see the look in his eyes. Olivia's head fell to the side as her eyes closed in death and Amy shoved her away as she scrambled to her feet and shot toward the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quickly just before he slammed the door in Amy's face when she reached it.

"What are you doing?" Rory snapped.

"I lied to her, Rory," the Doctor confessed as Amy pounded on the door. "There can never be two Amys in the TARDIS. The paradox was too massive."

"You can't leave her. She'll die!"

"No, Rory, she'll never have existed," Olivia explained. "When we save our Amy none of this will have happened."

"She happened! She's there!" Rory argued.

"She's not real," Olivia shook her head.

"She _is_ real," Rory ground out, stepping toward the door where the two stood. "Let her in."

"Look, we take this Amy we leave ours," the Doctor explained. "There can only be one Amy in the TARDIS! Which one do you want?!" He took Rory's hand and placed it on the lock of the door. "Your choice."

"This isn't fair," Rory growled. "You're turning me into you."

"Your choice," the Doctor repeated before heading toward the console as Rory's eyes went to Olivia.

"You knew, didn't you?" he ground out. "Your future self and you knew."

"Of course I did, Rory," she replied. "Why do you think my older self refused to be apart of it?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did. But neither of you would listen. You saw what happened with the glasses just by having our pasts and futures in the same room, and you still wouldn't listen."

Rory looked up at the window when he saw Amy's hand come up and rest on the glass.

"You wanted to grow old with her," Olivia recalled, heading toward the console. "That's why you married her."

Olivia stepped up next to the Doctor at the console and before she could say a word, he turned to her and threw his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Theta—?"

"Quiet, Liv," he whispered, holding onto her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe, and she wrapped her arms around him in return, not saying a word.

Just as quickly as he'd grabbed her, he released her when Rory stepped toward the console. Olivia stumbled back, staring at the Doctor as he flew the TARDIS. The telltale sound of the engines filled the control room as he and Rory stared at Amy, lying on one of the seats from the bottom of the stairs.

"Did you always know it would never work, saving both Amys?" Rory asked the Doctor, and Olivia looked to them from the console as he gave a smile.

"I promised you I'd save her, and there she is," he finally replied, nodding to Amy. "Safe."

The Doctor stood and stepped toward Olivia to take her hand and pull her toward a set of stairs leading down, but stopped when he heard Amy stir and looked to her just as she looked at him, Rory standing to sit with her. The Doctor stuck his tongue out at Amy, making her frown in wonder before giving a weak chuckle.

"We'll leave you two alone," Olivia smiled, pulling on the Doctor's arm but he remained in his spot.

"You alright?" Rory hoped and Amy nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Where is she?" Amy asked, making Rory look up at the Doctor but he turned and pulled Olivia with him deeper into the TARDIS.

"I knew you'd get us out of there," she smiled as they rounded a corner. "Even though it went wrong, I knew you'd fix it. You always fix it."

He pulled her through a door and she gasped when he threw his arms around her again, giving her no time to see what room they were in as he held her tightly, pinning himself between her and the wall next to the door.

"Theta, what's wrong?" she murmured, wrapping her arms around him to run her fingers through his hair.

"I saw you die, Liv," he shuddered against her ear, making her frown in confusion.

"I'm right here, my love," she whispered, neither one letting the other go. "I'm alive."

"Not you," he replied. "The older you, back there."

Olivia sighed in realization, hugging him tighter and nuzzling her face into his shoulder.

"But she wasn't real," she whispered. "That never happened. I didn't die. I'm right here. And those years I spent there never happened because now I get to spend those years with you."

"I never want to see that again, Liv. I never want to see you die and be powerless to stop it. It won't happen."

"Of course it won't. My Highwayman will _never_ be powerless to save me."

His hands came up to grab her face and pull her lips onto his. She could feel everything he was feeling in that kiss, and she felt the tears he'd shed against his cheeks and lips as she kissed him back, trying to comfort him. She set her forehead against his as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.

"What room are we in?" she asked.

"No idea," he admitted, making her giggle.

"As usual. Where are we going next?"

"No idea."

"As usual."

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia giggled as she looked at the screen of the scanner in the control room of the TARDIS.

"Try another one," she grinned, and the scanner beeped then stopped and she giggled again. "Another one."

The Doctor strolled down the stairs to the control room, frowning when he saw Olivia on the other side, focusing on the scanner.

"Oh, that one's so cute! She's ginger!" Olivia giggled, making the Doctor's frown deepen as he approached the console.

"Liv, what are you doing?" he asked, making her gasp and switch the scanner off just as he stepped up behind her and she turned to him with wide eyes.

"Nothing," she blurted.

"You're lying," he retorted, reaching for the scanner to turn it on but she slapped his hand away, gently.

"Fine, I'm lying, but don't look at what I was looking at," she blurted. "It's only gonna freak you out."

The screen blipped on by itself, making Olivia stare at it with wide eyes as the Doctor stepped in front of it to look at it.

"Hey! Who's side are you on?!" she squeaked at the TARDIS before trying to move the scanner away but the Doctor wrapped his arms around her, over her arms to pin them to her sides as he looked at the screen.

"Who's this little girl?" he wondered, frowning at the screen before looking down at Olivia as she looked to the console, fiddling with a switch in front of her while he still held her.

"It…could be our daughter," she murmured, making his frown disappear as his eyes widened before he looked to the screen again, letting Olivia go.

"Oh, she's gorgeous!" he grinned, making her frown at him as he stared at the screen, still grinning. "She's ginger! She's adorable, really. How'd you do this?"

"Well, the TARDIS compiled all your regenerations and my own image and combined them to make several images of what our children might look like," Olivia replied, stepping closer to him. "If you like that one, you should see the one before it."

The screen changed to the previous picture to show a little girl with black curls and big blue eyes, resembling Olivia very much.

"Oh, I like this one," he nodded, wrapping his arms around Olivia to pull her in front of him and rest his chin on her shoulder. "Look at those curls! And that smile is so sweet! She looks just like you."

"It's just one of an impossible number of possibilities," Olivia smiled. "I have a feeling she'll be more like you. I won't be able to keep up with her."

"You will," he grinned. "You've kept up with me this long, haven't you? A little tike with my genius won't be too hard to run after."

"It'll be worse," Olivia blurted.

"Will it now?" he smirked before his hands came down to her stomach and ribs to tickle them, making her scream in delight and try to escape him, but he held her tightly.

"Theta! Stop!" she laughed, before finally breaking free of his grasp and running around the console as Amy and Rory trotted down the stairs.

"What's going on?" Amy frowned in wonder, watching Olivia and the Doctor run around the console before stopping on either side and when the Doctor made for one side, Olivia moved in the opposite direction.

"This is a matter between husband and wife, Amy," the Doctor replied, rushing around the console, hoping to catch Olivia off guard but she laughed as she ran around the console and ducked behind Amy and Rory.

"Oh, please, we don't need to be apart of your twisted shenanigans," Amy shot back as Olivia kept herself hidden behind Rory and the Doctor stopped in front of them.

"It's not what you think," he assured her. "You're harboring a fugitive, Rory. If you know what's good for you give her up."

"You'll never take me alive!" Olivia giggled.

"Whatever she's promised you, it's all rubbish," the Doctor shot back.

"Ok, I don't know what to do, now," Rory admitted.

"What are the charges?" Amy questioned, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Count the first: insinuating that our offspring, hers and mine, would be, like me, a handful," the Doctor replied. "_Worse_ then me."

"Well, that's not a crime, that's truth," Rory shrugged.

"Your case is dismissed," Amy added.

"Formal protest," the Doctor called, raising his hand high in the air.

"Denied," Amy retorted, heading down the stairs toward the console.

"Ha ha! I have lawyers!" Olivia grinned, wrapping an arm around Rory's arm as he escorted her down the stairs.

"The wives always get the good lawyers," the Doctor muttered before turning to the console.

"So, where we going now?" Amy wondered, standing at the console as Olivia and the Doctor ran around it to fly the TARDIS.

"Let's go to Ravenscala!" the Doctor grinned. "The people are six hundred feet tall! You have to talk to them in hot air balloons, and the tourist information center's made of one of their hats!"

"That sounds like a serious case of hat hair," Olivia blurted, making Amy giggle before the Doctor slammed a lever down then grabbed Olivia's hand to drag her toward the door, Amy and Rory following.

Olivia frowned when she stepped out of the TARDIS door and into a 1980s style hallway in a 1980s style hotel…or at least what looked like one. She went to the railing of a spiral staircase, along with an excited Doctor and a confused Amy and Rory.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see any huge hats," Amy observed as the Doctor came up between her and Rory.

"Amy, Beaky, this could be the most exciting thing I have ever seen!" the Doctor grinned, making Olivia frown at him in confusion.

"You're kidding," Rory blurted.

"How can you be excited about a crummy hotel on Earth?" Olivia wondered as he hurried toward her to take her hand and pull her along with him.

"Because, assembled Ponds, wife, this is not Earth," the Doctor explained. "This has just been made to _look_ like Earth. The craftsmanship involved. Can you imagine?"

"What?" Rory chirped as he and Amy followed the Doctor down the staircase.

"Then where are we?" Amy wondered.

"I dunno," the Doctor replied, heading toward the lobby. "Something must have yanked us off-course. Look at the detail on that cheese plant!"

"Fascinating," Olivia muttered, pulling an apple from the bowl next to the cheese plant the Doctor was sniffing.

"Right, but who would mock up an Earth hotel?" Rory wondered as Olivia pulled another apple out of the bowl and tossed it to the Doctor who caught it, mid-air.

"Colonists, maybe, recreating a bit of home, like when ex-pats open English pubs in Mallorca," the Doctor guessed, taking a bite of his apple as Olivia and Rory went to the far wall to examine the pictures lining it. "No, whoever did this, I'm shaking his/her hand/tentacle."

"Have you seen these?" Rory asked, drawing Amy's and the Doctor's attentions to them. "Look at the labels underneath."

"Commander Halke, Defeat," Olivia read out loud with a frown.

"Tim Heath, Having His Photo Taken," Rory read another. "Lady Silvertear, Daleks."

Olivia shuddered, stepping toward the Doctor as he watched Amy and Rory.

"Paige Barnes, Other People's Socks," Amy read. "Tim Nelson, Balloons."

"Novice Prynne, Saberwolves," Olivia read another. "Royston Luke Gold, Plymouth? Lucy Hayward, That Brutal Gorilla."

"Doctor, what does it mean?" Amy wondered.

"I don't know," he confessed. "Let's find out."

Olivia rang the bell on the front desk in the lobby, and the ring was followed by a shout as three people ran out from the hallway, a young man with glasses and a woman in scrubs armed, an odd looking man waving a white handkerchief.

"Boy, that was quick!" the Doctor called as the four flinched, but the three strangers didn't make a move against them.

"We surrender," the odd one with the handkerchief said.

"Who are you?" the woman in scrubs questioned.

"It's ok, we're nice," Rory assured them.

"She's threatening me with a chair leg!" the Doctor said of the woman in scrubs.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"Oh, god, we're back in reception," the young man with the glasses muttered.

"I've never been threatened with a chair leg before," the Doctor recalled, pushing Olivia in front of him and hiding behind her. "No, hang on, I tell a lie."

"Did you just say, 'It's ok, we're nice'?" Amy questioned Rory.

"Alright, everybody just shut up!" Olivia shouted, silencing everyone before the woman in scrubs approached them.

"Rita, be careful, yeah?" the young man called to her as she looked into each of their eyes.

"Their pupils are dilated," Rita observed, backing up to stand with her group again. "They are as surprised as we are, besides which, if it's a trick, it'll tell us something."

"Oh, you're good," the Doctor smirked, making Olivia turn a frown of irritation to him, hearing his tone. "Oh, she's good. Amy, with regret, you're fired."

"What?" Amy snapped.

"I'm kidding," he quickly replied but held his hand next to his ear as he looked at Rita mouthing, 'We'll talk.'

"What about me? Am I fired too?" Olivia asked, irritably as she placed her hands on her hips, making him look to her with wide eyes and sputter a moment as she stared at him expectantly, but he only turned to the three again.

"I take it, from the pathological compulsion to surrender, you're from Tivoli," the Doctor said to the odd looking man with the kerchief.

"Yes, the most invaded planet in the galaxy," he replied. "Our anthem is called 'Glory to Insert Name Here.'"

"You with the face, Howie, you said you were surprised to be back in reception."

"The walls move," Howie replied. "Everything changes."

"You, Clever One, what's he talking about?"

"The corridors twist and stretch," Rita replied. "Rooms vanish and pop up somewhere else. It's like the hotel's alive."

"That's enough of that ridiculous elevator music," Olivia muttered, shutting the radio on the desk off.

"Yeah, and it's huge," Howie explained of the hotel. "With, like, no way out."

"Did you try the front door?" Rory wondered, pointing toward it.

"No, in two days, it never occurred to us to try the front door," Rita replied, sardonically as the Doctor used his Sonic on the door, Olivia leaning back on the front desk to watch everyone. "Thank god you're here."

Amy couldn't help but laugh as the Doctor opened the doors to reveal a wall behind them.

"They're not doors," he announced. "They're walls. Walls that look like doors. 'Doorwalls,' if you like, of 'Dwalls'…'Woors' even, though you probably got it when you said they're not doors. I mean the windows are…" He pulled the curtains open where windows should've been to reveal the same wall. "Right. Big day for a fan of walls."

"It's not just that," Rita explained. "The rooms have things in them."

"Things?" the Doctor echoed with a grin. "Hello! What kind of things? Interesting things? I love things ask Olivia over there. Don't I like things, Liv?"

"You love things," she replied with a wag of her head. "So what are the things?"

"Bad dreams," Rita replied, warily.

"Well…that certainly killed the mood," Olivia blurted.

"How did you get here?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know," Rita replied. "I'd just started my shift. I must've passed out because, suddenly, I was here."

"I was blogging," Howie explained. "Next thing, this."

"Well, I was at work," the alien, Gibbis, took his turn. "I'm in town planning. We're lining all the highways with trees so invading forces can march in the shade, which is nice for them, you know?"

"So what have we got?" the Doctor began, pacing between them. "People being snatched from their lives and dropped into an endless shifting maze that looks like a 1980s hotel with bad dreams in the bedrooms. Well, apart from anything else, that's just rude."

He stepped toward Olivia to grab her hand and pull her up the stairs.

"We'll pop back to the TARDIS," he said as they all followed him. "I'll do a planetwide diagnostic sweep. Then we'll have a singsong."

They stopped when they reached the spot where the TARDIS had been only to find that it was gone.

"Where's the TARDIS?" Olivia asked as the Doctor walked around the spot where it had been parked. "We _did_ park it here, right?"

"What's a TARDIS?" Howie wondered.

"Our way out," Rory sighed, resting on the railing to lower his face into his hands. "And it's gone."

The music Olivia had shut off started again, making her look to the Doctor as he looked around the stairs.

"Ok," he murmured. "This is bad."

"How bad?" Olivia wondered.

"At the moment, I don't know how bad, but, certainly, we're three buses, a long walk, and a taxi from good."

"That's pretty bad," Olivia nodded as he turned to the group.

"Are there any more of you?" he asked.

"Joe," Rita replied. "But he's tied up right now."

"Doing what?" Olivia wondered.

"No, I mean he's tied up right now."

"Oh, literally," Olivia nodded then frowned, "Why?"

Rita glanced to Howie before replying, "We'd better just show you."

* * *

**A/N:** so, i've pretty much kept true to the episodes...but this episode is gonna get a different ending. Olivia's secret revealed...coming soon! reviews?


	26. Fear

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 26: Fear**_

Olivia stared huge eyes at all the ventriloquist dummies sitting in every chair of the dining room. They were all laughing and having conversations, and the sheer creepiness of it all made her clutch the Doctor's arm as he stepped deeper amongst the tables in the dining hall. The dummies stopped laughing and talking to look at them as they stepped through the room, the rest of the group staying at the door. The Doctor led Olivia toward the man in a suit, tied to a chair amongst the dummies, whom they assumed was Joe.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted. "I'm the Doctor."

"We're going to die here," Joe replied with a dazed look over his face.

"Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure," the Doctor replied, finding an empty chair and pulling it toward him as he asked, "Is Joe there? Can I have a quick word?"

"Oh, it's still me, Doctor, but I've seen the light," Joe argued as the Doctor sat in the chair, pulling Olivia onto his knee. "I lived a blasphemous life, but he has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon he shall feast."

"You've been here two days," Olivia recalled. "What's he waiting for?"

"We weren't ready," Joe replied, making her frown. "We were still raw."

"But now, you're, what, cooked?" the Doctor wondered.

"If you like," Joe smiled, dreamily. "Soon you will be, too. Be patient. First, find your room."

"My room?" the Doctor echoed.

"There's a room here for everyone, Doctor," Joe explained. "Even you."

"You said you'd seen the light, now," the Doctor recalled.

"Nothing else matters anymore, only him," Joe sighed, looking around the room. "It's like these things. I used to hate them. They make me laugh now." He laughed heartily. "Gottle o' geer. Gottle o' geer."

He laughed and all the dummies around him laughed as well, making Olivia stare around the room in horror before it died.

"You should go," Joe warned. "He'll be here soon."

The Doctor nodded before patting Olivia's leg, making her stand to let him do the sane and grab the dolly on one side of the room, wheeling it toward him and tucking it under his chair.

"I think you should come with me," the Doctor advised. "Liv, lead the way to the lobby, won't you?"

Olivia nodded as the Doctor lifted Joe with the dolly and wheeled after her, the group following them to the lobby.

"Why you four?" the Doctor wondered once they were back in the lobby. "That's what I don't understand, aside from all the other things I don't understand."

"God, that music!" Olivia ground out, shutting the radio off again.

"What does it matter?" Gibbis wondered. "Sooner or later, someone will come along and rescue us. Or enslave us."

"First we find the TARDIS," the Doctor announced. "Quick thing before we go: If you feel drawn to a particular room, do _not_ go in, and make sure someone else can see you at all times."

"Joe said 'He will feast'," Rita recalled. "Is there something here with us?"

Joe suddenly started laughing manically as he sat on the other side of the desk, still tied to his chair.

"Something to add, Joe?" the Doctor wondered.

"Here comes a candle to light you to bed. Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop."

"Can we _do_ something about him?" Howie pleaded.

"Ooh! Look what I found!" Olivia grinned, stepping in front of Joe and ripping the end off the roll of duct tape, grinning, "We can _absolutely_ do something about him."

* * *

_In the Halls..._

The Doctor led the group as they all wandered around, Gibbis wheeling Joe still tied up and his mouth now duct-taped shut.

"Personally, I think you've got the right idea," Gibbis told Joe. "At times like this I think of my old school motto: Resistance is exhausting."

Olivia clenched the Doctor's hand tightly as they strolled, making him frown down at her as he felt her anxiety.

"Liv?" he called, making her turn wide eyes at him. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she chirped. "Fine…ish. I mean, sort of. Well…no, no I'm not."

He couldn't help but smile warmly as he pulled his hand from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders to pull her close.

"It'll be alright," he murmured.

"Not if you see what's in my room," she muttered, making him frown down at her but they stopped when a door opened and a man in a white tank top and shorts with a whistle around his neck stepped out.

"Hello," the Doctor blurted.

"Have you forgotten your P.E. kit again?" the man demanded, and when the Doctor didn't answer he yelled, "Right, that's it, you're doing it in your pants!"

The man stepped back into the room and the Doctor shook his head in confusion as Olivia turned around to make sure everyone was together.

"Howie! Don't!" she shouted, seeing him move to open the door of a room. She ran toward him to stop him but he'd already turned the knob and the door opened to reveal a party held by a group of teenaged girls.

"Oh, look girls," one of them called. "It's H-H-Howie!"

They all laughed and Howie stared around at them in panic.

"What's 'loser' in K-K-K-Klingon?" another girl, still laughing.

"Shut th-th-th-th-the-the door," Howie pleaded, stepping back and Olivia slammed the door shut. "This is just some m-m-messed up CIA stuff, I'm telling you."

"You're right," the Doctor agreed as Olivia stepped toward Howie to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Keep telling yourself that. It's a CIA thing, nothing more."

"It's alright, Howie, it's gonna be ok," Olivia murmured, rubbing his arm as they all continued down the hall.

The group stayed together as they made their way around the hotel. Howie had been right, the place was huge. Olivia felt like they'd been going around and around in circles, and they probably had been. She watched the Doctor stroke the wallpaper, flick at the hallway lights, then look up at the ceiling to see marks on one the arches that the Doctor ran a finger over, making bits of plaster fall to the floor. He stopped there and examined the markings as Amy knelt down next to him to pick something up off the floor. A loud roar sounded from down the hall, making everyone stare ahead, Joe squirming in his chair and panting, excitedly.

"Ok, whatever that is, it's not real, yeah?" Amy hoped as they all started backing away, slowly.

"No, no, I'm sure it isn't," the Doctor assured her. "But just in case, let's run away and hide anyway…in here. Liv!"

"Hiding!" she called, running into the nearest room as Rita wheeling Joe into another, the Doctor, Amy, Rory, Gibbis and Howie all piling into one. She slammed the door shut, not even seeing what was in the room with her and sighed, "Figures I'd end up by myself, in the dark."

She pressed herself against the door to peek through the peep hole and made a face when she saw a Minotaur stalk by and sighed in relief when it didn't stop at her door. She pressed her forehead to the door, shuddering in panic.

This must have been what the TARDIS meant when she was stuck in Idris' body. This was how he would find out her secret, and though she was sure he wouldn't leave her, there was a part of her that thought he might. It scared her more than anything, and she was bound to keep it from happening if she could.

Taking a deep, calming breath she finally lifted her head and felt around the door for a light switch. Her fingers brushed against it and she flipped the switch, the room immediately lighting up.

"Identify!"

Olivia froze, her eyes shooting wide as she slowly turned to look at what she knew was behind her in terror.

"Identify!" the Dalek shouted at her, making her shove herself back against the door as it rolled toward her. "You are an associate of the Doctor! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"_Doctor_!" Olivia screamed in terror.

She stumbled back as the door swung open then slammed shut in front of her and a pair of arms wrapped around her to pull her close, a bowtie brushing against her forehead as she buried her face into the chest she turned into.

"I've got you, Liv, I've got you. You're safe."

"Dalek," Olivia shuddered, making him pull her close as she snuggled into him.

"It's not real," he assured her, stroking her back, soothingly. "You're not leaving my side ever again, darling. It's alright. Everyone back to the dining hall."

"Where were you?" Olivia wondered as they headed back down the hall.

"We ended up in a room with Weeping Angels," he replied, keeping his arms around her. "It seems this is a 'Lesser of Two Evils' sort of place."

"I'd have picked the Angels."

"I know."

"What happened to Joe?" Olivia asked, seeing Rory wheeling his limp body in the chair he'd been tied to.

"The Minotaur got to him," the Doctor murmured, pulling back to take her hand and lead the way back to the dining hall.

* * *

_Dining Hall..._

Olivia watched the Doctor as he scanned Joe's body and the ventriloquist dummies with his Sonic, then watched Rory and Howie barricade the door before eyeing Gibbis sitting at a table by himself, Amy sitting on the bar adjacent to him.

"If it's any consolation, I've met the Weeping Angels," Amy told Gibbis. "So I know how… In fact, I thought that room was for me."

"Joe was right," Gibbis retorted. "Whatever it is in here, it actually wants to kill us. Not oppress us or enslave us, _kill_ us!"

Amy moved from her spot to take a seat next to Gibbis, saying, "Listen, the Doctor's been part of my life for so long now, and he's never let me down, even when I thought he had, when I was a kid and he left me. He came back. He saved me. And now, he's going to save you. But don't tell him I said that, because, you see, the smugness would be terrifying."

"Of course, if the Weeping Angels _were_ meant for me, then _your_ room is still out there, somewhere," Gibbis smiled, making Amy frown at him before standing to step toward Olivia.

Olivia smiled at Amy and was about to stand from her seat to head toward the Doctor but stopped short when she noticed Rita set the tray she was carrying on the table Olivia was sitting at and set a cup of tea in front of her.

"Thank you," Olivia smiled before watching her step toward the Doctor with a cup of tea for him and herself and felt a twinge of jealousy as they started talking.

"You ok, Olivia?" Amy asked, sitting next to her and she looked to her with a small smile and a nod.

"I'm good, thanks," Olivia nodded.

"Every time the Doctor gets pally with someone I have this overwhelming urge to notify their next of kin," Rory suddenly appeared on the other side of her, making she and Amy both laugh, but he jumped when he noticed he was standing close to Amy.

"What?" Amy frowned at him.

"Sorry," he blurted to her. "Last time I said something like that, you hit me with your shoe."

"I remember that," Olivia chimed in. "She even sat down to untie it first."

Amy laughed before sitting on the edge of the table next to Olivia and Rory sat in the chair she'd been in.

"Olivia, can I ask you something?" Amy wondered as Olivia took a sip of her tea.

"Sure," Olivia nodded.

"Why are you so afraid of Daleks?" Amy asked.

Olivia froze as she looked up at Amy then sighed as she set her cup on the table.

"I know you don't remember this, but it was when the Earth was sent to the Medusa Cascade," Olivia began. "The Daleks were everywhere, rounding people up as guinea pigs for one of their machines, picking off the ones that dared to fight back. As soon as we saw the planets in the sky, mom and I went down to the basement, Aaron was at home, and I prayed he was alright. We must have been down there for hours before we heard the Daleks outside the basement door. It blasted to splinters and one of them came floating toward us, and we huddled against the wall…almost like we knew it was the end.

"I just stared at it, terrified. It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen, and that included the Cybermen that were running around everywhere a year or so before that. It shouted at us, and we thought we were gonna die, but then…it just floated away. It didn't do anything it just turned and floated back up the stairs. It was the scariest thing I'd ever experienced."

Rory placed a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder when she took in a deep breath, patting his knee in thanks.

"Do you know why it just flew off and left you alone?" Amy asked, rubbing her back, soothingly.

"No," Olivia replied, shaking her head with a shrug. "I was just glad it did. The shouting was what got me. I'll never get over their voices."

"So it's nothing but sheer terror then," Rory nodded in understanding and Olivia nodded in confirmation.

"Have you told the Doctor?" Amy wondered.

"I don't have any secrets from him," Olivia smiled, but it fell when she added, "Except one."

"Do you think that was your room?" Rory couldn't help but ask.

"No," Olivia muttered. "I'm terrified of Daleks, but my worst fear is still in one of these rooms, and I'm afraid that…if the Doctor sees it too, something even more terrible than having my soul sucked by a Minotaur is gonna happen. Excuse me."

She stood and headed toward the Doctor as he and Rita still spoke. He smiled at her as she approached and she smiled in return, stepping next to him to let him wrap an arm around her waist, his other hand holding his tea.

"What, exactly, happened to him?" Rita wondered of Joe.

"He died," the Doctor replied, bluntly, making Rita frown at him in wonder.

"You are a _medical_ doctor, aren't you?" she hoped. "You haven't just got a degree in cheesemaking or something."

"No," he replied defensively before admitting, "Well, yes, both, actually. I mean, there is no cause. All his vital organs simply stopped, as if the simple spark of life—his loves and hates, his faiths and fears—were just taken." He sniffed at the cup in his hand before realizing, "And this is a cup of tea."

"Of course," Rita nodded as the Doctor licked the rim of the cup, making Olivia scoff at him. "I'm British. It's how we cope with trauma. That and tutting."

"But how did you make it?" the Doctor wondered in awe.

"All hotels should have a well-stocked kitchen, even alien fake ones."

The Doctor looked at her in wonder as Olivia frowned before she answered.

"I heard you talking when you arrived," Rita explained. "Look, it's no more ridiculous than Howie's CIA theory, or-or mine."

"What's yours?" Olivia asked, sipping at her tea.

"This is Jahannam," she replied.

"You're a Muslim," the Doctor smiled.

"Don't be frightened," Rita replied, good-naturedly.

"So, I'm guessing from the fact that we're all in torment here, that you think this is hell?" Olivia asked.

"The whole '80s hotel thing took me by surprise, though," Rita admitted with a nod as they turned to look around the room.

"And all these fears and phobias wandering about are mostly completely unconnected to us, so why are they still here?" the Doctor wondered.

"Maybe the cleaners have gone on strike," Rita replied, making him laugh and Olivia frowned between them, even as he still held a hand around her waist.

"I like you," he nodded to Rita, making Olivia bite her lower lip as she looked away from them but didn't move. "You're a right clever clogs. But this isn't hell, Rita."

"You don't understand, I say that without fear," Rita explained. "Jahannam will play its tricks, and there'll be times when I want to run and scream. But I've tried to live a good life and that knowledge keeps me sane, despite the monsters in the bonkers rooms."

The Doctor took a drink of his tea and threw his head back to gargle it, making Olivia try to stifle a snicker in vain.

"Gibbis…" Rita trailed off when the Doctor recovered from his gargling and swallowed as he looked at her and she resumed, "…is an alien, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Ok, I'm going to file that under 'freak out about later'."

The Doctor chuckled as Olivia stepped away, making him look to her in wonder as she stepped toward the bar. She leaned on the surface with her tea and he followed to lean next to her, mirroring her pose.

"The Dalek wasn't your room, was it?" he guessed, speaking softly as she stared at her tea and he watched her.

"I don't think so, no," she murmured, not looking at him.

"Liv, now might be a good time to tell me that secret I don't know."

"Oh, right, so we can have it out in front of everyone? Including Little Miss Clever Clogs over there?"

"We've been over this," he sighed, glancing over his shoulder at the group. "I like people that can handle situations like this without panicking, but that doesn't mean you should be jealous."

"You were quick to 'fire' Amy."

"You know I wouldn't, and stop trying to distract me from what I asked you."

"Maybe I'm not in the mood to tell you, ever think about that?"

"Olivia Felton, your stubbornness never fails to annoy and attract me at the same time," he growled in her ear then sighed and softened his tone. "Please, my love?"

She sighed in thought before biting her lower lip and looking up at him, tears coming to her eyes. The look on her face made him frown in concern and lift a hand to stroke her cheek.

"We can get through it, Liv," he whispered. "Whatever it is, after everything we've been through, we _can_ get through it. You have to believe that, and trust me."

She smiled sadly before murmuring, "I've always trusted you."

And for the first time in a long time, she really did believe they could get through it. It made her want to hug him so tightly and kiss him so deeply to embarrass the group in the room but she somehow held herself back.

"So, what's this secret, hm?" he coaxed with a smile.

She smiled and opened her mouth to reply—

"Doctor, look at this," Amy called, holding two pieces of paper toward him. He glanced to Amy then looked to Olivia who deflated and shrugged before he turned to Amy as everyone gathered around him. "I found it in a corridor. I completely forgot I had it."

He took the papers and tapped her head with them, making her chuckle before he grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her under his arm, reading the papers.

"'My name is Lucy Hayward,'" he read. "'I'm the last one left. It took Luke first. It got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived. It's funny, you don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realize it could never have been anything else. I just saw mine. It was the gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My God, that thing used to terrify me. The gaps between my worships are getting shorter, like contractions. This is what happened to the others. And how lucky they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him.'"

"Praise him," Howie blurted from his seat at one of the tables, fiddling with the silverware and everyone's eyes shot to him.

"What did you say?" Olivia breathed.

"Nothing," Howie lied, shaking his head then looked like he was trying to keep from throwing up before blurting out, "Praise him!"

"This is what happened to Joe!" Gibbis recalled as Howie slapped a hand over his mouth and stood from his chair.

"Oh, it's gonna come for me now," Howie panicked, pacing.

"He'll lead it to us," Gibbis panicked as well.

"Just calm down a minute," Rita implored.

"He'll lead it right here!"

"I won't leave you," the Doctor assured Howie. "I promise."

"Listen, Howie," Olivia insisted.

"You have my word on that."

"I don't want to get eaten," Howie shuddered.

Everyone started speaking at once, making Olivia pull out her Sonic Screwdriver then take the Doctor's as well and place them tip to tip, pressing the buttons and the sound that came from them was deafening. It silenced everyone and made them clap their hands over their ears as she cringed at the sound as well before lowering the Sonics and tossing the Doctor's back to him.

"Thank you, Liv," the Doctor nodded, rubbing his ear.

"Don't you see?" Gibbis snapped. "He'll lead it right here!"

"What do you suggest?" Rita retorted.

"Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course," Gibbis replied. "Now, tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment. I'm saying if it were to find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go."

Everyone stared at him incredulously making him huff and plop into a seat, explaining, "All I wanna do is go home and be conquered and oppressed. Is that too much to ask?!"

"Tell you what, when you start Praising Him, we'll do _exactly_ as you say, ok?" Olivia shot back, making the Doctor set a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"It's ok," Rita chimed in as Olivia wrapped an arm around Howie's shoulders. "I'll stay with Howie. You take the others and go."

"No, we stay together," the Doctor objected before stepping toward Gibbis as he still sat. The Doctor beckoned Olivia to follow him and she obeyed, coming up behind Gibbis to slap her hands onto his shoulders, making him jump with a start as the Doctor leaned closer to him. "Your civilization is one of the oldest in the galaxy. Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's _sly_, aggressive. That's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. But not today. No one else dies today. Right?"

Gibbis nodded, making the Doctor grin, "Brilliant."

The Doctor stepped away and Olivia leaned down next to Gibbis' ear, still gripping his shoulders.

"If it were up to me, you'd be left for it when your praises start," she ground out before pushing off of him and following the Doctor as he wrapped an arm around Howie to lead him to the table.

"Howie, any second now, it's going to possess you again," the Doctor explained, sitting Howie down. "When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them."

The Doctor sat in one of the chairs, pulling another up right next to him for Olivia to sit in it, Amy, Rita and Rory crowding around to watch them.

"I hope my mum's alright," Howie said. "Sh-She's gonna be w-worried."

He suddenly looked dazed, making Olivia frown at him in wonder before calling, "Howie? Howie, you ok?"

"Liv, let him be," the Doctor whispered, seeing what was happening to him, and Howie grinned at him in a daze. "Howie, you're next. We're all dead jealous so tell us, how do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing all of us?"

"You guys have got all these distractions," Howie explained, tapping his head and giggling. "All these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know? Clear the path."

"You want it to find you, even though you know what it's gonna do?" Amy asked.

"Are you kidding?" Howie retorted. "He's going to kill us all. How cool is that?!"

The Doctor stood, making everyone follow him as they huddled away from Howie while he sat giggling giddily in his seat.

"It's as I thought," the Doctor murmured. "It feeds on fear. Everything…the rooms, Lucy's note, I mean, even the pictures in reception has been put here to _frighten_ us, so we have to resist it. Do whatever you have to. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, think of a basket of kittens. But do not give in to the fear."

"Ok, but what are we gonna do?" Olivia asked, making him to turn to her.

"We're gonna catch ourselves a monster," he smirked.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


	27. Praises

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 27: Praises**_

"_Bring me death!_" Howie's voice echoed through the hotel. "_Bring me glory! My master, my lord, I'm here! Come to me. I'm waiting, here, for you. He has promised me a glorious death. Give it to me now._"

"You sure this is a good idea?" Rory asked Olivia, armed with a mop as they stepped toward the door of the spa where they were going to trap the Minotaur. "I know it's the Doctor's plan and everything but…"

"Rory, I call him an idiot for a reason," Olivia murmured.

"Comforting," he retorted.

"Not here to comfort. Here to block the door."

"_I want him to know my devotion_," Howie continued from somewhere.

"How are we gonna defend ourselves if it goes wrong?" Rory wondered.

"Well, I've got a Sonic Screwdriver," she replied.

"Great…and I've got a mop."

"Well, it's better than nothing."

"Rory! He's in!" Amy called from the other side of the room and he and Olivia ran for the door.

He was about to slip the mop through the door handle to barricade it but Olivia flung the door open and stepped in ahead of him.

"What are you doing?!" he growled.

"Do your apart, Rory."

"Why are you—?!"

"Because I'm an idiot, too, now go!"

She shoved Rory out and didn't move from the door until she heard Rory shove the mop through the slot then turned to the room, only to gasp when the Doctor stood, looming over her.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"Not leaving you to that thing," she shot back.

"_Let his name be the last thing I hear_," Howie continued from the PA system and into the room as the Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and dragged her with him to shut off the lights. "_Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel_."

Olivia stared wide eyes at the thing moving around the room. It looked even uglier when there wasn't a door between it and her.

"_I was lost in shadows, but he found me. His love was a beacon that led me from darkness to light, and now I am blinded by his majesty…humbled by his glory! Praise him_."

"That's quite enough of that," the Doctor muttered, pulling the plug on the PA before turning to the Minotaur. "Nothing personal. I just think we should take things slowly. Get to know each other. You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room…tailor made hell just for them. Why?"

The thing growled as the Doctor and Olivia stepped out from their hiding place, the strategically placed mirrors confusing it as to where they were.

"Did you say _they_ take?" he asked it. "Ah, what is that word? The guard?"

"Warden?" Olivia guessed in, making him stare at the Minotaur in realization.

"This is a prison. So what are we? Cellmates? Lunch?"

The Minotaur growled again as Olivia swallowed, her heart thumping in her ears.

"We are not…ripe?" the Doctor translated.

"That's what Joe said," Olivia breathed, clutching his arm as he stepped toward the glass with water running over it. "He said we weren't ready."

"So what, what, you make us…ready, you, what?" the Doctor questioned as the Minotaur growled. "Replace? Replace what? Fear?"

The Minotaur shook its head as it growled.

"You have lived…so long, even your name is lost," the Doctor translated again.

"He wants to stop," Olivia realized in a breath.

"Because you are…" the Doctor prompted the Minotaur then said, "…just instinct. Then tell me. Tell me how to fight you."

"My Master," they suddenly heard Howie call…and he sounded very close. "My Lord, I'm here! Bring me death!"

"How did he get out?!" Olivia snapped.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, seeing the Minotaur swing at the glass he and Olivia were standing behind.

"Rory, look out!" Olivia shouted.

The glass shattered and the Doctor moved to cover Olivia from the glass flying around them as she screamed and threw her hands over her head. The Doctor turned when he heard the door behind him open and shouted with a start when Amy and Rita hurried in before turning back to the Minotaur.

"Stay back!" he ordered. "Pond, bring the fish."

Amy frowned at him but he only grabbed Olivia's hand and pulling her toward the other end of the room to find Rory lying amongst glass on the floor.

"Rory! Are you ok?!" Olivia called.

"Where'd he go?" the Doctor asked him.

"Somebody…hit me," Rory breathed, slightly dazed. "Was it Amy?"

The Doctor laughed before shooting to his feet to run down the hall.

"Liv, stay with him!"

"Oh, hell no," Olivia ground out, scrambling to her feet and rushing after him. She followed him down the spiral stairs then down a hallway until he found something on the floor and sprawled out on the carpet to examine Howie's broken glasses.

"I told you to stay with Rory," he recalled when she caught up with him.

"Yeah, you tell me lots of things," she retorted as he stood, examining the glasses. "Find Howie?"

"Not yet, come on."

He grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hall, and when they rounded a corner they saw Howie curled up next to the wall on the other end of the hallway. They rushed toward him and the Doctor knelt next to him to look him over, but it was too late. Olivia swallowed as she knelt down next to the Doctor before looking to one end of the hall, seeing Amy, Rory and Rita coming around the corner and the Doctor shook his head. She shuddered before looking to the other end of the hall where Gibbis—who had been watching Howie when they tied him to the chair in reception—came, cautiously around the corner and Olivia stood, glaring at him.

"He got free," Gibbis explained, 'innocently.' "He overpowered me."

"You _liar_!" Olivia screamed in rage, charging toward him but the Doctor gripped her arm to keep her at bay. Tears fell from her eyes as he pulled her back toward the others, but she still struggled against his grip.

"It might leave us alone now!" Gibbis continued, cautiously following them. "Maybe now we'll be safe. Wait!"

"Doctor, let me go! I'm gonna beat him to a pulp, I swear!" Olivia sobbed, but when they reached the end of the hall he swung her in front of him, gripping both her arms to look her square in the face.

"Olivia, stop it," he ordered, firmly as she cried, bowing her head into her hands. "I can't lose you to hysteria. You've got to stop, please."

She sniffled and wiped her face, taking a deep breath to calm herself as she nodded, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry," she shuddered.

"I promise you can break down when all of this is over and we're back in the TARDIS," he assured her with a smile, making her giggle and nod. "There's my girl. Let's get Howie to the dining hall, yeah?"

* * *

_On the Staircase..._

Olivia stared at the pictures on the wall lining the staircase leading to the lobby, the Doctor standing next to her with an arm around her shoulders.

"I have a feeling, Theta," she whispered.

"Tell me," he requested, pulling her closer and placing his chin on her head.

"My room is close, and it's gonna come for me next."

"Such a pessimist," he muttered. "You know what I say about them, don't you?"

"I'm serious," she insisted. "You _know_ I'm perceptive."

"Liv, I know you are, and I know you're frightened, but you need to be my brave girl for me now. We've been in tougher scrapes than this, haven't we? We always get out of it."

Olivia nodded but said nothing when she noticed Rory coming up to them and the Doctor looked to him with a short smile.

"Have you found your room yet?" he asked Rory.

"No," he replied then asked, "Is that good or bad?"

"Maybe you're not scared of anything," the Doctor guessed.

"Well, after all the time I spent with you in the TARDIS what was left to be scared of?" Rory wondered, making the couple frown.

"Rory, you used past tense," Olivia voiced.

"No, I didn't," Rory frowned before gazing over the pictures and saying, "You know, Howie had been in speech therapy. Just got over this massive stammer. What an achievement. I mean, can you imagine? I'd forgotten not all victories are about saving the universe."

Olivia smiled before the Doctor took her hand and pulled her down the stairs but just as they disappeared from Rory's sight, before they reached the others, she gripped the lapel of his jacket and pulled him into a corner, making him stare down at her with wide eyes as he pinned her in it.

"Liv, what's—?!"

"I need you to kiss me," she shuddered, making him swallow, seeing the tears in her eyes. "Please, Theta. I know this probably isn't the best time for something like this, but I'm losing it. I just need you to hold me and tell me everything is gonna be ok, because I don't feel like everything is gonna be ok. I feel like it's all gonna go to—"

He cut her off when he planted his lips to hers, slipping his arms around her to hold her close, putting everything he could into the kiss. Comfort, love, passion, reassurance. Olivia melted, wanting to stay in that moment forever but it was short-lived. Someone behind the Doctor cleared their throat and he instantly pulled away from her with a smack, turning to Rita with a blush as Olivia supported herself in the corner, still dazed from his kiss.

"Rita!" he greeted. "Brilliant! How are you?"

"Not as good as you two," she smirked as Olivia took in a breath, finally coming out of her daze to take the Doctor's hand in hers.

"Not panicking, are you?" he hoped, ignoring her smirk and trying to hide his blush but it did no good as Rita shook her head in answer to his question. "Good, good. Because I'm literally an otter's toenail away from getting us out of here."

"Why?" Rita asked, making Olivia frown.

"Excellent question," the Doctor replied, pulling Olivia with him as he started down the stairs, passing Rita then turning back to her. "Why…what?"

"Why is it up to _you_ to save us?" she elaborated. "That's quite a God Complex you have, there."

"You have no idea," Olivia scoffed, but she frowned when his grip tightened on her hand and she looked up at him as he stared at her, then looked to Amy who was setting up a fish bowl on a table.

"I brought them here," he replied, turning back to Rita and slinging an arm over Olivia's shoulders. "They'd say it was their choice, but offer a child a suitcase full of sweets and they'll take it. Offer someone all of time and space, and they'll take that, too…which is why you shouldn't."

Olivia frowned up at him in confusion as his arm slipped from her shoulders and he took her hand again, adding with a sneer, "Which is why grown-ups were invented."

"All of time and space, eh?" Rita asked.

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor grinned, swinging his and Olivia's hands back and forth between them, and Olivia couldn't help but smile at him. "And when we get out of this, I'll show you, too."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it was, I have a feeling you just did it again," Rita smirked, making him laugh, softly before he looked past her and up in a corner.

"Right down to the smallest detail," he murmured, pointing to the security camera and making the girls look to it before he pulled Olivia down the stairs with him. "Got you, Mr. Minotaur."

The Doctor dragged Olivia through the halls and she stumbled after him before questioning, "Where are we going?"

"Surveillance room!" he replied before he slowed down and looked around.

"Theta, what's wrong?" she asked when he stopped and looked around the hall. "Theta?"

He said nothing as he stepped toward a door, still holding Olivia's hand and she stared wide eyes at the door, trying to pull him back by the arm.

"No! Theta, don't!" she called, trying to pull him away from room number 11.

"Just stay here, Olivia," he urged, pulling her to one side of the door, her back pressed to the wall so she couldn't see what was in the room. "I'll only have a peek."

"No, don't," she argued. "It's too risky."

He opened the door enough to peek inside and Olivia tried to look inside as well but he kept one hand on her shoulder, pressing her against the wall.

"Of course," he whispered, then smirked, "Who else?"

Olivia said nothing as she frowned at him when he shut the door, glancing at the Do Not Disturb door-hang on the knob before grabbing Olivia's hand again to drag her down the hall.

"Theta, what was it?" she asked, but he didn't stop pulling her along.

"You have your secrets, I have mine," he smirked before they turned into a door filled with screens with images of the hotel. "Oh, you beauty! Come on, big fella, where are you?"

They both searched the screens, but Olivia frowned in wonder when she saw Rita wandering the halls and asked, "Where's Rita going?"

The Doctor looked to the screens then grabbed the receiver of the phone in front of him and dialed the room number that he could see closest to Rita. They watched Rita stop in front of the door as the phone rang inside, then look to the camera before stepping in to answer it.

"Rita, where are you going?" he asked when she answered the phone as Olivia still watching the screens. "Oh, can you take the phone into the corridor? Will it reach?"

Rita appeared into view on the screen, holding the phone to her ear with one hand, its stand in the other and the couple read the expression on her face.

"You started to praise it, didn't you?" the Doctor guessed and Rita nodded into the camera. "Rita, come back, please. We'll find a way to stop it, I swear to you."

"_No, I need to get as far away from you all as possible_," Rita replied, sinking to the floor against the wall.

"No, you don't. The creature only wants whoever's praising him."

"_And then you'll put yourself in its way._"

"We're coming to get you. Block out the fear and stay focused on your belief."

"_The hotel will keep us apart. I could be fifty miles away by now_."

"Doctor," Olivia whispered, tugging on his arm and pointing to one of the screens where she saw the Minotaur crossing the camera's view.

"_I want you to do me one last favor, Doctor. I can feel the rapture approaching like a wave. I don't want you to witness this. I want you to remember me the way I was._"

"What's going on? Rita's disappeared," Amy reported urgently, stepping into the room with Rory then looked to the screens and saw her. "What's she doing there?"

"Rita. Rita, please. Let me find you."

"_You stay where you are_," Rita ordered him, shaking her head as tears welled in her eyes. "_Please, let me be robbed of my faith in private_."

"Look, Rita, go into the room, lock the door!"

"_I'm not frightened. I'm blessed, Doctor. I'm at peace. I'm going to hang up. Goodbye, Doctor_."

"Rita!"

"_Thank you for trying._"

"Rita, please!"

Rita hung up the phone and the four watched as she pushed the phone away and stood to face the hall. The Doctor slammed the phone back on the hook before slumping into the chair behind him. Olivia turned from the screens as the other three watched the Minotaur catch up with Rita, but the Doctor used his Sonic to turn the image to snow. They saw Gibbis on another monitor eating the fish that had been in the bowl Amy had carried from the spa before the Doctor shoved out of the chair and stomped out of the room, all of them hurrying after him.

They met with Gibbis in the kitchen, Amy and Rory sitting at a table against the wall, Gibbis sitting at another table with Olivia at the bar as the Doctor shouted angrily, marching around the room to break things in rage. After his destructive rampage he slumped into the seat against the wall at the table on the other side of Gibbis, Olivia standing to cautiously head toward him and sit in front of him. She reached across the table and took his hand, making him look up at her and she could see it in his eyes. Rita's death had been the last straw.

"Ok," he murmured. "It preys on people's fear and possesses them."

"But Rita wasn't afraid," Olivia recalled. "She was calm the entire time."

"Maybe it's something to do with the people," he theorized. "Some connection between the four of you. That'll tell me how to fight it."

"Yes, you keep saying that, but you never do," Gibbis complained, making Olivia turn a glare to him. "And while we wait, people keep dying, and we'll be next!"

"Shut your trap," Olivia snapped, making the Doctor squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Look, he'll work it out," Amy assured Gibbis. "He always does. Just let him riff, and move anything expensive out of his way."

"Oh, no," he murmured, making Olivia look back at him and she knew he'd figured it out.

"Doctor, what is it?" she asked.

"It's not fear," he began before swallowing, making her frown at him in wonder. "It's _faith_."

"Faith?" she echoed as he stood to pace the room.

"Not just religious faith, faith in _something_," he explained. "Howard believed in conspiracies, that external forces controlled the world. Joe had dice cufflinks and a chain with a horseshoe. He was a gambler. Gamblers believe in luck, an intangible force that helps them win or lose. Gibbis has rejected any personal autonomy and is waiting for the next batch of invaders to oppress him and tell him what to do. They all believe there's something guiding them about to save them."

"_That's_ what it replaces," Olivia realized, standing to be face to face with him as they spoke.

"Every time someone was confronted with their most primal fear they fell back on their most fundamental faith," the Doctor sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders with a pained expression. "And all this time, I have been telling you to dig deep, find the thing that keeps you brave. I made you expose your faith, show them what they needed."

Olivia looked into his eyes and saw all the guilt he was feeling before he looked to Amy and Rory.

"But why us?" Rory wondered. "Why are we here?"

"It doesn't want you," the Doctor replied, lowering his hands from Olivia's shoulders to face them. "That's why it kept showing you a way out. You're not religious or superstitious, so there's no faith for you to fall back on…it wants the girls."

"Us?" Amy scoffed in wonder as Olivia turned to sit at the bar again, her back to them. "Why?"

"Amy's faith in me," he replied, glancing to Olivia but she didn't move. "Olivia's love for me. That's what brought us here."

"But why do they lose their faith before they die and start worshipping…it?" Rory wondered.

"It needs to convert the faith into a form it can consume," the Doctor explained. "Faith is an energy, the specific emotional energy the creature needs to live, which is why, at the end of her note, Lucy said…"

"Praise him."

"Exactly."

They all froze and the Doctor spun around to stare wide eyes at Olivia as she slowly turned in her chair to face him tears welling in her eyes.

"No, Olivia," he breathed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I told you," she shuddered. "I _told_ you!"

* * *

**A/N:** Big reveal, next chappie! bet you it's not what you think it is...reviews?


	28. Sacrifices

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 28: Sacrifices**_

The Doctor, Amy, Rory, Gibbis and Olivia all ran down one of the halls of the hotel as it shuddered around them from the Minotaur's footsteps as it ran after them. They turned corners and kept running until Olivia, who was holding the Doctor's hand stopped and turned to face the Minotaur as it rounded the corner behind them, instantly becoming mesmerized.

"Olivia, come on!" the Doctor shouted trying to pull her away but she only stared at the beast coming for them.

"God, but he's gorgeous," she breathed.

"Doctor, in here!" Amy shouted, opening the door of a room.

The Doctor grabbed Olivia by both arms and pulled her in, the rest following them into room number 10. Gibbis coward between the two beds to the side, Rory and Amy moved to barricade the door with their bodies, but Olivia screamed when met with the sight in the room, the Doctor staring on in shock and awe.

A regeneration was in progress. The Doctor's last regeneration.

"No, no, no, no, _no_!" Olivia screamed, tears instantly rolling down her cheeks as she backed away from the image. "Not again! I can't take it, _please_!"

"Olivia, what is this?!" the Doctor questioned, gripping one of her hands to keep her close, asking why his regeneration was in the room.

"I _hate_ it when you regenerate!" she confessed through her sobs, still trying to back out of the room. "I know it's terrible, but I hate it! I can't do it again! Not again!"

She sobbed as she fell to her knees, clutching her head as she cried out in pain, the Doctor kneeling next to her.

"My head!" she cried. "It's in my head, Doctor. Make it stop!"

"Doctor! It's coming in!" Amy shouted as they heard pounding on the door.

In that moment, though he knew exactly what he had to do, he second guessed himself. He knew there was no other way, but he couldn't do it. It would tear her apart, but for the greater good, to save them all, he had to do it. He had to lie.

"Olivia, look at me," he ordered, grabbing her head in both hands and forcing her gaze to his, tears streaming down her face. "None of this was meant to happen. When I brought you with me…you were never meant to fall in love with me. You were an audience I could play to, understand?"

Olivia stared at him in confusion before breathing, "What?"

"It went too far, Olivia," he kept on, ignoring the slam of the door being flung open by the Minotaur and kept his eyes on hers. "And now this? This is my life."

"I know, I'm—!"

"I'm taking you back home," he cut in, lowering his hands from her head as she stared wide eyes of disbelief at him as he stood and she scrambled to her feet.

"Theta—!"

"When this is over, I'm taking you home," he said again as she still stared at him.

The Minotaur roared before stumbling out of the room, catching the Doctor's attention and he stepped toward the door to watch it as Amy and Rory hurried toward Olivia. She let out a short sob before falling to her knees again, her heart breaking into a million pieces as she covered her face with her hands and sobbed. She knew this would happen. Why had she believed he would act otherwise?

"Olivia," Amy murmured, kneeling next to her and wrapping her arms around her as Olivia shook her head in disbelief.

"I knew he'd hate me!" Olivia sobbed. "I knew he wouldn't want me when he found out!"

"Olivia, you can't say that," Rory told her, kneeling on the other side of her. "He's trying to save us. I know you see why he said those things."

She shook her head again, refusing to hear him before lowering her hands when she heard strange sounds then looked down at the new floor. It had changed to a grid, dark with blue lines to illuminate the dark room and when she looked up she saw the Doctor standing a few feet away from her. Rage suddenly took over her as she stood from Amy, marching toward the Doctor and without a word she slapped him, hard, with an open palm across the face.

"Olivia!" Rory called in shock and tried to head toward her to stop her but Amy gripped his arm to pull her back.

"How could you do this to me?!" Olivia screamed at the Doctor, slapping him again then pounding her fists to his chest with all her strength, chanting, "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

He lifted his hands and wrestled with her until he was able to wrap his arms around her and she sunk against him, shaking her head, shuddering, "I hate you."

"Liv," he whispered before swallowing.

"No!" she shouted, shoving away from him, lifting her left hand and pulling her ring off to throw it into his face. He winced when the band smacked him in the forehead then rattled to the floor and he stared at her with wide eyes as she turned to walk away from him, stopping near Amy as she lifted a hand to wipe her face, still sobbing.

Everyone's attention finally turned to the Minotaur at the Doctor's feet and Amy asked, "What is it, a Minotaur or an alien? Or an alien Minotaur. That's not a question I thought I'd be asking this morning."

"It's…" the Doctor trailed off, staring at Olivia before swallowing and finally tearing his gaze from her to bend down and pick up her ring, tucking it into his pocket then looking toward the computer to his left. "It's both, actually. Here we go."

He stepped toward the symbols going through the air as Rory stepped toward Olivia, Amy heading toward the Doctor.

"Olivia, you ok?" he asked. "I mean…you're not _ok_, but…I mean—"

"Amy, permission to hug?" Olivia called, her voice thick with emotion.

"Granted," Amy replied without hesitation and Olivia threw her arms around Rory, making him grunt when she rammed into his chest. He looked to Amy for guidance and she only nodded, permitting him to wrap his arms around her in return.

"A distant cousin of the Nimon," the Doctor read the symbols. "They descend on planets and set themselves up as gods to be worshipped, which is fine until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bonkers prisons."

"Correction," Rory called, looking to the window at his feet as Olivia still clung to him. "Prisons in space."

Olivia finally detached from him and looked at their feet as Gibbis came up to them to look out the window as well.

"Where are the guards?" Amy wondered.

"No need for any," the Doctor replied. "It's all automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems, and converts their faith into food for the creature."

"See that planet, there?" Gibbis said, pointing through the glass he, Rory and Olivia were looking through. "The green one, there. That's where I'm from."

"They didn't want just us, so you must believe in some god, or someone, or they'd have shown you the door, too," Amy observed, speaking to the Doctor. "So what do Time Lords pray to?"

The Doctor looked to Olivia who was slowly stepping toward the TARDIS, his hearts clenching so tightly that he could hardly breathe before he turned back to the computer.

"According to the in-flight recorder, the program developed glitches," he explained, avoiding the question. "It got stuck on the same setting. The fears from the people before us weren't tidied away."

The Minotaur began growling, softly, drawing everyone's attention to it, and as Amy, Rory and the Doctor stepped toward it, Gibbis remained in his spot as Olivia sat in front of the TARDIS.

"What's it saying?" Amy wondered.

"An ancient creature," the Doctor translated. "Drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting in space, through an endless shifting maze. For such a creature death would be a gift."

The Doctor knelt down and gripped one of its hands, murmuring, "Then accept it and sleep well."

He stood and turned to head toward the TARDIS but stopped short when the creature spoke again.

"I wasn't talking about myself," he translated, and he a faltered a moment before stepping toward the TARDIS where Gibbis stood and Olivia still sat in front of it.

"Could I have a lift?" Gibbis asked as the Doctor stopped in front of the door. "Just to the nearest galaxy will do."

"Sure," the Doctor nodded, opening the door and letting Amy, Rory and Gibbis head in before him. He stepped in front of Olivia as she still sat in front of the other door, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head bowed against them. "Time to go, Liv."

She said nothing as she stood, keeping her gaze away from him as she turned to head into the TARDIS. He followed her in and stepped after her up the stairs, but when he headed toward the console, she turned to head up the stairs and deeper into the TARDIS. He stared at her retreating back before turning to operate the console, the engines starting their familiar sound.

"She thinks you meant it," Amy reported to the Doctor as he kept his focus on the console and he didn't say anything. "Doctor."

"Yes, Amy, I heard," he finally replied, still not looking at her. "I'll take care of it. Let's get Gibbis home."

* * *

_Later..._

Olivia lay on the bottom bunk of the beds in hers and the Doctor's room, her tears long dried onto her cheeks. Rory had checked on her, and so had Amy, trying to assure her that the Doctor didn't mean what he'd said, but she knew better. Even if he had lied, even if he'd done to save their lives, she knew a part of him meant it. How could he not. Hating it when he regenerated was terrible. The alternative was death, and though she didn't want him to die, it didn't make her like it any more.

The door opening to the room caught her ear and she turned to see if it was Amy or Rory or both. She tensed when she saw the Doctor standing in the doorway before turning to face her back to him, not wanting to deal with his rejection any longer. She tensed further when she heard his footsteps coming closer, then felt the bed sink at her knees.

"We're at their house," he reported. "They won't even step out the door without you being there. You don't want to miss their reaction, do you? It was your idea to make their door TARDIS blue."

Olivia said nothing as she sat up and shifted to slip off the bed and stand to leave the room. The Doctor gripped her wrist before she was out of reach, making her stop but she didn't look back at him.

"I know…you're still angry with me," he began. "Well, 'angry' is probably an understatement, but I want you to keep this."

He slipped her ring back on her finger then released her hand, letting her head out of the room before he could say anything more. He sighed and stood from the bed to follow her out, meeting Amy and Rory in the control room with Olivia. He led the way out the door and into a street, a red convertible sitting on the curb in front of them.

"Don't tell me," Amy began. "This isn't Earth, that isn't a real house, and inside lives a goblin who feeds on indecision."

"No," the Doctor chirped, reaching into his pocket. "Real Earth. Real house. Real door keys."

He tossed the keys to Amy and she caught them before she and Rory stared at them then looked to the door.

"You're not serious," she questioned, and Olivia couldn't help but smile at their reactions.

"The car, too?" Rory wondered. "That…That's my favorite car. How did you know that was my favorite car?"

"You showed me a picture of it once and said, 'This is my favorite car,'" the Doctor replied, tossing the keys to it to him as they strolled toward it and Rory giggled excitedly.

"You're welcome," Olivia smiled, before Rory grabbed her and hugged her tightly in excitement and she couldn't help but giggle when he released her.

"Rory," Amy called, stepping toward him, asking, "Can you give us a few minutes? Two minutes."

Rory turned to the Doctor and Olivia stepping between them to place a hand each around their shoulders.

"She'll say that we can't accept it because it's too extravagant, and we'll always feel a crippling sense of obligation," he murmured, glancing between them before looking to Amy as she leaned on the hood of the car then turned back to them, whispering, "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Olivia scoffed when he stepped toward the house, still looking at the car and she glanced between Amy and the Doctor.

"I'm just gonna wait in the TARDIS," Olivia assured them, turning to head back and the Doctor watched her until she disappeared through the door before he turned back to Amy.

"Hey," she called, patting the hood next to her and he strolled toward her to sit against the car. "So…you're leaving, aren't you?"

"You haven't seen the last of me," he assured her. "'Bad Penny' is my middle name. Seriously, the looks I get when I fill in a form."

"Why _now_?"

"Because you're still…breathing."

"Well, I think this is about the washing-up, personally."

They both laughed as the Doctor stood from the car, his hands tucked in his pockets.

"I mean, you're right, there's still heaps of stuff out there to look at. Do you know, there's a planet whose name literally translates as 'Volatile Circus'?" Amy laughed before he added, "Or maybe there's a bigger, scarier adventure waiting for you in there."

"Even so, it…can't happen like this," Amy insisted as she stood as well. "After everything we've been through, Doctor, everything…you can't just drop me off at my house and say goodbye like we shared a cab."

"And what's the alternative? Me standing over your grave? Over your broken body, over Rory's body?"

Tears came to Amy's eyes as she pulled him close to hug him. The Doctor hugged her in return, burying his face into her shoulder, trying to keep the emotions at bay, but he was ready to break after everything that had happened. Amy sniffled before they pulled away and she gave him a sad smile.

"If you bump into my daughter, tell her to visit her old mum sometime," she smiled, making him chuckle before she punched his shoulder. "And you better make up with Olivia."

He nodded before telling her, "Look after him."

"Look after her…and you," Amy nodded before pressing a kiss to his forehead and he turned to head toward the TARDIS.

He turned back to smile at her, making her laugh and wave before he finally stepped through the door and shut it behind him. He looked to the console to see Olivia at the scanner, making his hearts skip with hope but he remained calm as he made his way up the stairs, quietly. He was all the way around the console and stepping up next to her before she finally noticed he was there. She looked to him with those wide jade eyes and his hearts sank again when he saw fresh tears on her face. Before she could think of flipping off the scanner he grabbed it and pulled toward him to see what she'd been looking at.

The Doctor bowed his head with a pained sigh when he saw the image of the little girl with black curls on her head and bluer than blue eyes. He looked up when he heard her footsteps heading away and saw her heading up the stairs.

"Olivia," he called and she stopped on the step as he hurried out from around the console. "Where are you going?"

"To pack my things," she replied and he could hear the lump in her throat even if she didn't turn to face him. "Just the things I brought from home."

"Not yet," he argued, heading up the stairs and stopping behind her. "I have some questions for you."

Olivia swallowed and shuddered, but didn't move as he stepped up to stand on the same stair with her, taking her hands in his to turn her toward him. She looked away from him, but he lifted a hand and gently took her chin into his grip to pull her gaze to his. She kept her eyes averted to his bowtie, noting that it was purple…and remembering she'd suggested he wear purple that morning.

"Liv, let me see those gorgeous jades," he murmured, and she cursed herself for not having a better resistance against him. Her eyes slowly met his and her heart fluttered when he gave a small smile. "There's my girl. Now, these questions are simple. Yes or no."

She chewed on her lower lip nervously but only nodded that she understood.

"First question," he began, his hand on her chin trailing slowly up to her cheek to stroke it, gently. "Do you want to stay?"

She swallowed again, feeling more tears come to her eyes before she shuddered, "Yes."

"Are you still angry?"

"…No."

"Do you…still love me?"

Olivia's eyes shifted as more tears rolled down her cheeks before she finally whispered, "It hurt…hearing you say those things. I…I shouldn't have said that."

"I know I hurt you," he murmured. "But I had to do it to save all of us. I swear, Liv, it'll never happen again. I'll never, _ever_ hurt you like that again."

"You can't say that, Theta."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't, not when I know you're going to die!" She lowered her head into her hands, sobbing and he wrapped his arms around her. "Of course I still love you. I shouldn't have said I hate you. I shouldn't have thrown my ring at you either."

"I deserved it," he murmured.

"No, you didn't," she argued, shaking her head and pulling back enough to look up at him, gripping his jacket. "Whatever you do, whatever you say, you don't deserve that from me."

"Then I deserved the slaps," he conceded. "And the punches. Do you forgive me, Liv?"

She nodded then said, "Only if you forgive me for…hating it when you regenerate."

He stared at her for a moment, making Olivia swallow as she thought he was going to take it all back and say he was leaving her.

"Please don't leave me," she breathed, unable to help voicing her thoughts.

"Oh, no, Liv," he whispered, lifting his hands to cup her face. "I was just about to let you in on another secret of mine."

She gave a slight frown but said nothing as he pulled her close to lean in and press his lips to her ear.

"I hate it when I regenerate, too. Don't feel bad."

She choked on a sob then threw her arms around him, planting her lips to his for a long awaited, make-up kiss…all teeth and tongue and desperation to be forgiven. They pulled away with a smack, and the Doctor instantly bent down to scoop her up and carry her bridal style up the stairs, making her squeak in surprise and tighten her arms around his neck.

"You won't be able to move by the time I'm done with you, wife."

"I think I can keep up with you, husband."

"I _know_ you can."

* * *

_TARDIS Kitchen..._

Olivia bounced to Beyonce's _Single Ladies _playing in the background as she moved around the kitchen, cooking and singing. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail that was whipping around her head as she bobbed it to the beat, wearing nothing but one of the Doctor's shirts.

"Now, put your hands up!" she sang as she flipped the pancake using only the pan then put it back over the fire as she sang, "Oh, oh, oh."

When the song ended Katy Perry's _ET_ came on next, making her smile at the memories that came to mind of a different kind of hotel than the one they'd just come from, dancing, Cybermen and shots.

"Ooh, this brings back memories," the Doctor crooned in her ear as he came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist, snuggling against her and she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, only his purple suspenders and trousers. "Cybermen."

"Tomato shots," she smiled, sliding the pancake onto the stack on the plate next to her. "You know that was the last time I had one?"

"We'll have to remedy that when we get to Barcelona," he smiled as she shut the flame off and she turned in his arms to stare wide eyes at him.

"What?" she smiled, knowingly.

"We're going back," he nodded, pulling her closer by the waist.

"The festival!" she grinned in realization, throwing her arms around his neck to hug him. "I can't wait!"

"What are you making?" he asked, looking to the stack of pancakes and she pulled back to grin at him.

"I made custard pancakes," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Mm, with fish fingers?" he grinned back, and as if on cue a timer sounded.

"That's them," Olivia smiled, turning to the oven to grab a potholder from the countertop before bending down to open the oven. The Doctor remained where he was, admiring the sight of her rear before she stood and placed the fish fingers on the trivets she'd set up to let them cool. "Like the view?"

"Always," he smirked, taking her hand and pulling her to the center of the kitchen as the song continued and he tried to dance to it with her, making her giggle.

"You can't move to this music," she laughed, making him pout at her. "Track six, if ya would, dear."

The song changed to _Crazy Little Thing Called Love_ by Queen making him laugh heartily before he started the ridiculous dance he'd done at Amy and Rory's wedding. He grabbed Olivia's hand and twirled her before continuing his dance and Olivia mirrored him.

"Keep it loose, Liv!" he laughed. "Keep it loose!"

She couldn't help but laugh before turning to grab the plate of pancakes and handing them to him.

"Take these to the dining room, I'll get the fish fingers," she laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he took the plate.

He gave a pout then made his way to the dining room, Olivia piling the fish fingers on a plate before following him and they sat at the table as the music still continued.

"Custard pancakes, but no custard to dip the fish fingers in?" he noticed. Olivia said nothing as she took a pancake and wrapped it around one of the fish fingers then held it up for him to see. He stared at her with wide eyes before grinning, "Olivia Felton, you are _brilliant_, you are!"

"I know," she smirked, taking a bite of her fish finger pancake taco as he made one for himself.

He bit into it and hummed in satisfaction before scooting his chair closer to Olivia to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"When we get to Barcelona, first thing I wanna do is go shopping, _with_ you this time," she smiled as they ate.

"Your wish is my command, Princess," he smirked, making her giggle.

"Back to calling me that," she smiled, looking up at him. "I like it."

"I know you do," he retorted, giving her an Eskimo kiss, and for the first time in a long time she felt like that giddy teenager she used to be, sitting with her Highwayman.

* * *

**A/N:** i wanted to keep that goodbye between the Doctor and Amy only :) reviews?


	29. Birthday

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 29: Birthday**_

"What about this one, Doctor?" Olivia called, reaching for a green sundress at one of the vendors, holding the Doctor's hand as they strolled the streets of planet Barcelona. She released his hand and turned to hold the dress against her, twirling around as she smiled cutely. "It's the same color as your Sonic Screwdriver."

"Do you like it?" he smiled, warmly, reaching a hand into his inside jacket pocket.

"Yes, but _you_ have to look at me in it," she retorted. "I want your opinion, too."

He still smiled as he showed his Psychic Paper to the person behind the cart she took the dress from before wrapping his arm around her shoulders to whisper in her ear.

"You look gorgeous in anything, Liv," he smiled as they strolled away. "If _you_ like it, _I_ like it."

"Aren't we gonna pay for it?" she wondered, attempting to turn around but he pulled her back.

"I've got it covered, darling," he assured her. "They're putting it on my tab. Or _someone's_ tab, anyway."

Olivia giggled before gasping as they came to a stop, a dog stopping in front of them while crossing their path but when it looked up at them she frowned in confusion. The dog barked once before hurrying to the other side of the street and the Doctor led her forward again without a word.

"That-That dog had no nose," she blurted, looking up at him.

"Yes, I know," he nodded before his eyes lit up and he lowered his arm from her shoulders to grab her hand. "Ooh! Bowties! Come on!"

She laughed as he pulled her forward to a cart filled with untied bowties hanging around it.

"We could match!" he grinned, looking around at the ties.

Olivia shook her head in amusement before looking to the cart next to him and grinning when she saw what they were selling. The Doctor shouted in triumph when he found a green bowtie to match Olivia's new dress and flashed his Psychic Paper to the vendor before pulling off his red bowtie, tucking it into his pants pocket and tying the green one around his neck, using the mirror the cart provided.

"Well, what do you think, Liv?" he grinned, turning to where he thought she'd been standing then frowned when he didn't find her. "Liv?"

"You look smart, Doctor," she called, behind him, making him whirl around and smile at her as she stood with her hands behind her back and a smile over her lips.

"What have you got behind your back, then?" he asked, tucking his hands into his pockets as he sauntered toward her and her smile grew as she pulled her hands out behind her back, presenting a green fez to him.

"I thought you'd like one, since they're cool," she smiled before he snatched the thing away from her with one hand and wrapped his other hand around her waist to pull her close.

"Olivia Felton, you are _smashing_!" he grinned, planting a quick kiss to her lips before putting the fez on his head and taking a step back from her, straightening out his jacket then presenting himself. "Well, _now_ how do I look?"

"Very cool, my love," she nodded before he stepped toward her and threw an arm over her shoulders again.

"Let's get back to the TARDIS so you can change into that lovely dress then, eh?" he smiled, pulling her closer.

When they reached the TARDIS and stepped inside, Olivia turned to him and pressed her lips to his, making him pull her closer by her shoulders. But before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled away with a smile and lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. He stared down at her in awe at how happy she looked, her smile bright, her eyes even brighter. After all this time, after everything they'd been through, the starlight in her eyes was still there, and it was as bright as ever.

"Olivia, I love you," he sighed, making her smile grow even wider.

"I love you, too, Theta," she whispered, her hand slipping down his chin to rest on his chest over one of his hearts, feeling it pound against her palm. It still amazed her that she had such an effect on him. "I'm gonna go change. I'll be right back."

"Need help?" he smirked, making her giggle and gently tap his chest.

"Bad boy," she smirked back with a wink as she turned and hurried up the stairs to the platform then hurried up the stairs leading deeper into the TARDIS with her dress.

The Doctor watched her as he strolled up the steps to stand at the console, pulling the scanner toward him and flipping the screen on to see the image of one of the options his and Olivia's child would look like. It made him smile, but when he changed the screen to what he'd been looking at before, his smile fell.

The information from the Tessalecta appeared on the screen.

The date, time and location of his death.

Suddenly the thought of a child with Olivia seemed like a dream bound to _remain_ a dream. That date on the screen was coming up soon for him, and he felt his hearts break over not only never having a chance to give Olivia the child she wanted—the child _he_ wanted—but also putting her through his death…again.

"Oh, lover boy!" Olivia called from the stairs, making him flip the screen off and look to the stairs with a smile, taking in her appearance as she leaned back on the railing halfway down the stairs. "How do I look? Should I wear my Converse or do you like the heels?"

The Doctor smiled, his gaze scanning her from her silky raven hair that she'd let loose over her shoulders, the green, sleeveless dress with a skirt that brushed her knees to the cream and copper colored, strappy heels that gave her another three inches to her height of five foot two.

"Love the heels," he confessed, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his Sonic, adding, "You match my screwdriver."

Olivia giggled as she hurried down the steps as quickly as her heels would let her then threw her arms around him as he caught her, leaning back onto the edge of the console. She frowned when he realized how tightly he was holding her, as if he didn't want to let her go. She'd felt that kind of hug from him before. That thought made her pull back from him and look into his sea-green eyes in concern.

"Theta, what's the matter?" she murmured, lifting her hands to cup his face. She hated the look she saw in his eyes. It was the same look he'd had when she'd met his future in Utah. "Talk to me."

He sighed, his hands settling on her hips as they kept each other's gazes.

"It's coming up soon, Liv," he breathed, lifting a hand to run his fingers through her hair, soothingly. "I'm sorry we didn't get to have little ones running around the TARDIS before I had to go."

"I have no regrets about our life together," she stated, firmly as she gripped the lapels of his jacket. "Even if we didn't get to have children like I'd wanted—"

"_We_ wanted, Liv," he corrected. "I wanted it, too."

"Even if it didn't happen, I don't regret any of it," she resumed. "From the moment I met you, until now, I don't regret _any_ of it. I fell in love with an impossible man and got to travel with him in his blue box. Not many people can say that. Only River can say that. Now don't spoil this for us. Let's go have a good time at the Festival."

He sighed again but nodded and she leaned closer, pressing her lips to his for a kiss to comfort both of them. He leaned in, deepening the kiss and this time she didn't pull away before he could. His tongue slid past her lips, and he smiled when he caught a taste of strawberry before their lips parted. They leaned their foreheads against the other's, still holding each other close.

"Never think about what could have, or _should_ have been," she sighed. "You'll only drive yourself insane thinking of 'what ifs.' Just remember the times we've had and how much fun we've had together."

"I want you to do something for me, Liv," he whispered, making her lift her head away from his to look him in the eye. "After I…you know, I want you to find Jack and…stay with him. He'll protect you the way I have and he'll care about you and maybe you two can—"

"Stop right there," Olivia snapped, her jaw set and her eyes narrowing to a glare. "You say one more word and I'll slap you upside the head. I am _not_ making Jack the rebound guy, and don't you even think of saying, 'He can give you the child I couldn't' because I'll slap you again, and then I'll drag you out that door and punish you some more, somehow, while we're at the Festival. Am I perfectly clear?"

The Doctor stared at her with wide eyes for a moment before he couldn't help the smirk that slid over his lips at her feistiness. He'd always liked seeing her riled up, whether it was at him or something else.

"Alright, Liv," he nodded, still smirking. "Let's go have fun and get you your Tomato shots. I know you've been dying to have one since we got here."

She sighed in relief and couldn't help smiling as her mood slowly changed. He held an arm out toward her and she slid hers around his to let him lead her to the door.

* * *

_Felton Home..._

Joyce sighed as she switched the TV off then picked up her cell phone sitting next to her to text Olivia.

_Happy Birthday, sweetie xoxo_

She frowned when a knock came to her door, wondering who could be visiting so late in the evening. She stood and stepped toward the door to open it, only to stare huge, green eyes ahead in shock at who was on the other side of the door.

"Surprise!" Aaron, Olivia and the Doctor all grinned before Olivia stepped forward and threw her arms around her mother.

"And thanks for the birthday wishes, mom," she murmured before pulling away to let Aaron hug her as well, taking his small suitcase from him. "You think I'd miss my twenty-fourth birthday with my mom? Not a chance!"

"Hello, Joyce, how are you?" the Doctor asked before placing kisses to both her cheeks when Aaron let her go.

"I'm…fine," she blurted, still in shock before she turned her gaze to Aaron and Olivia, finally grinning. "You're all here! Thank goodness! I haven't heard from either of you in ages!"

She threw her arms around Olivia and Aaron to hug them close, tears of joy coming to her eyes.

"Ah, Olivia's absence was my fault," the Doctor explained. "I've been keeping her busy. Sorry."

"I'll slap you later," Joyce smiled, giving him a wink to tell him she was joking and he chuckled.

"Hey, Joyce!"

Everyone froze and looked to the stairs leading to the bedrooms as a familiar face made his way down the steps.

"I can't find the—Oh."

Jack cut himself off as he stopped on the middle step, wearing nothing but a pair of navy blue lounging pants. Joyce blushed as the other three stared huge eyes a him in disbelief when he lifted his right and only hand (having lost his left hand when his Vortex Manipulator was stolen by River Song) to scratch at the back of his head, not saying a word.

"What?" Olivia blurted, looking at her mother as she looked back at her.

"Jack came back for a visit," Joyce explained. "He could tell I was lonely, so he decided to stay for a while."

"What?!" Olivia snapped, sending a glare up at Jack, as did Aaron.

"Are you kidding me?!" Aaron snapped as well, all ignoring or not noticing the Doctor heading toward him.

"Look, guys, it's not what you think," Jack tried explaining.

"_What_?!" Olivia shouted then gasped when the Doctor gave Jack a left hook, sending him to the floor.

"_Ow_!" the Doctor nearly screamed, shaking the pain from his hand then cradling it as Olivia ran toward him.

"You idiot!" she groaned as Joyce followed her to help Jack sit up on the stairs, his nose gushing blood.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Joyce shot at the Doctor, making Olivia look to her with wide eyes.

"Defending the honor of his mother in-law!" Aaron shot back from the bottom of the stairs.

"Honor?!" Joyce chirped. "What—?!"

"They think we slept together," Jack explained, sounding nasal as he pinched the bridge of his bleeding nose and tilted his head back.

"You're all being ridiculous!" Joyce snapped, looking around at each of them as they all stared at her. "He knew it was Olivia's birthday and when he saw I was by myself he asked if he could stay and have a glass of the wine he brought for Olivia, hoping she'd be here!"

"Why is he half naked?!" Aaron snarled.

"He spilled his wine," Joyce shot back, meeting his gaze. "I'm washing his clothes! Look, Jack is charming and sweet and handsome, but I'm not going to sleep with him just because I'm lonely!"

"And _I'm_ not gonna take advantage of her, even if she _is_ sexy as hell," Jack added, giving a wink to Joyce, making her roll her eyes.

"You're as bad as Aaron sometimes," Joyce sighed, standing and pulling Jack to his feet to lead him by the arm. "Let's get you cleaned up and stop the bleeding."

"We should get ice for your hand," Olivia told the Doctor who nodded, letting her lead him down the stairs by the arm as he cradled his hand, sighing again, "You idiot."

"Aaron! Get in here!" Joyce called, and Aaron followed Olivia and the Doctor into the kitchen where Joyce sat Jack and Olivia sat the Doctor across from him at the table. "Aaron, hold this for Jack."

Joyce grabbed Aaron's hand, pulled him around to Jack's right and set it on the towel she was using to absorb the blood from his nose as Jack still leaned his head back. Aaron did as he was told, trying to avoid eye contact with Jack, but he found it impossible. He watched Olivia go to the freezer, fussing over the Doctor before finally looking to Jack's clear blue eyes that glittered with the smile he gave under the towel, one eye winking at him. Aaron tried to fight the smile that threatened to spread over his lips, but that, too, became impossible and he let it show. Jack's eyes gleamed brighter as he lifted his hand and wrapped it around Aaron's waist to pull him a little closer while Olivia pressed the bundle of ice in a dish towel to the Doctor's hand.

Aaron pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of Olivia and the Doctor as she leaned over his hand, lightly dabbing the ice filled dish towel onto his knuckles. The sound of a camera shutter made Olivia look up at him just as he turned his phone around to show her the picture.

"Send that to me!" Olivia ordered with a grin.

"Duh," he blurted, turning his phone back around to do so as Olivia leaned over the Doctor's hand again.

"Alright, you three, apologize to Jack," Joyce ordered, approaching Jack with a wet paper towel to wipe the blood that had splattered onto his chest from his nose.

"I'll do it," Aaron told her, making her frown at him but he only took the paper towel from her to start, slowly wiping the blood from Jack's chest. "This is my apology."

"Accepted…gladly," Jack smirked under his towel.

"I'm sorry I punched you," the Doctor muttered before rubbing his thumb over his Psychic wedding band to tell Olivia, _But it felt kinda nice_.

Olivia pinched his wrist, making him wince as she gave him a mild glare before looking to Jack and Aaron.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said.

"You're all forgiven," Jack replied with a wave of his hand from behind Aaron, then pulled his arm from around him and took the towel the red head was still holding over his nose from his hand to lower his head, wiping his nose with a sniffle. "Pretty good left hook, Doctor. How long you been waiting to do _that_?"

"Since I found out you gave that nighty to Olivia," the Doctor shot back, making Olivia and Aaron both stare at him with wide eyes as Jack only chuckled.

"How did you find out?!" Olivia breathed.

"Gwen told me when I met you at Torchwood," the Doctor replied.

"So you knew when we went to Aurora?!" Olivia snapped, standing tall and placing her hands on her hips as he looked up at her.

"Well, when you put it on I wasn't about to _complain_, now was I?!" he retorted.

"Do you _have_ to have this conversation in front of me?!" Joyce snapped, cleaning up. "I don't want the image of you two like that in my head!"

"Not to mention _my_ poor brain!" Aaron chimed in.

"Some birthday this is," Olivia sighed, pulling up a chair between Jack and the Doctor and sitting, heavily. "Come home, husband punches former boss, find out that husband knew former boss gave me an intimate gift. Lovely."

"At least I saved you some cake," Joyce assured her heading for the fridge. "I made a small one. Jack and I ate most of it."

"Wow, thanks a lot, you handsome pig," Olivia shot at Jack who shrugged back.

"What can I say? Your mom's a mean baker," Jack smirked as Joyce placed a plate in front of Olivia, pulling the plastic wrap off of it, placing a fork next to the plate and a kiss to her head.

"Thanks, mom," Olivia smiled up at her.

"You're welcome, sweets," Joyce smiled back, running a hand over her head, lovingly.

"So where are you guys coming from?" Aaron asked the Doctor and Olivia.

"Planet Barcelona," the Doctor replied as Olivia dove in to her cake. "We went to the Festival. Best birthday present ever, if I recall correctly, right, Liv?"

She only nodded, her mouth full of cake, making he and Jack chuckle at her as they watched her.

"You go dancing?" Jack asked, and Olivia nodded again. "Tomato shots?"

She nodded again before swallowing her bite and adding, "Six each."

Jack gave a long whistle as Aaron stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Where are you off to next?" Joyce asked, bringing glasses for all of them and the bottle of wine Jack had brought.

"The Alignment of Exodor," the Doctor grinned, setting the ice filled dish towel on the table. "Which means we can't stay long."

"We should make a visit to Craig," Olivia suggested through a mouthful of cake, making the Doctor frown at her.

"Why Craig?" he wondered.

"Who's Craig?" Aaron wondered, taking a sip from a wine glass Joyce filled.

"He's a friend of ours," Olivia explained, taking a sip of her own wine as well. "And we should visit him because we haven't seen him in a while. We should see how he and Sophie are doing."

"A social call?" the Doctor guessed, and Olivia nodded before giggling when he took a sip of wine and made a face.

"It's what friends do," she explained as he pushed the glass away. "Social calls."

"I don't do social calls."

"Well what do you call _this_, if not a social call?!"

"A birthday present for you."

"Another one? You're so generous."

"Who is Craig?!" Aaron questioned again, irritably.

"I told you, he's a friend of ours," Olivia replied. "He helped us out when the TARDIS flew off with Amy and we had to stay someplace. He rented a room to us which, of course, ended up having a fake upstairs."

"Of course it did," Jack nodded along before taking a long drink of wine.

"It ended up being a spaceship," Olivia added.

"Of course it was," Aaron nodded as well.

"How long are staying this time, Aaron?" she wondered, using her finger to gather the bits of frosting she missed.

"A week or so," he shrugged. "Maybe longer."

"Glad to hear that," Jack smirked, making Aaron turn to him and bite the tip of his tongue at the corner of his mouth with a smirk of his own.

"Have your shack up somewhere else, you two," Joyce chimed in, flicking Jack's ear and smacking Aaron upside the head, making both flinch before she took a sip of her own glass of wine.

"_Zoons_, let's get outta here before _that_ starts," Olivia muttered to the Doctor, standing and taking her plate to the sink.

"Zoons?" Jack echoed, shifting to frown at her as she approached the table again and perched herself on the Doctor's knee. "You channeling Shakespeare again?"

"Maybe," Olivia shrugged with a small smile.

"We'd better get going anyway," the Doctor told her. "The alignment's locked in a time-stasis field. We only have one chance to fly the TARDIS through."

Olivia sighed and nodded as she stood.

"Well, this was…entertaining while it lasted," she smiled, stepping toward Aaron to kiss his forehead then hug him before hugging her mother as the Doctor followed her. He hugged Aaron, then Joyce as Jack stood and pulled Olivia into a tight hug.

"Resist the urge to shag my mother, please," Olivia muttered into his ear, causing him to give her what seemed like a friendly slap on the back, but it made Olivia grunt as she had the wind knocked out of her.

"I'm a one person kinda guy, unless someone wants to get kinky," he replied in her ear before holding her at arms length as she coughed from his hard pat on the back and he pinched her cheek. "You be careful out there in time and space, Supernova."

"Yeah—" she coughed and nodded. "I will."

"Liv, you ok?" the Doctor hoped, pulling her away from Jack and questioning him, "What did you do to her?!"

"Just gave her a friendly pat on the back," Jack shrugged with a mischievous smirk as Olivia took in a deep breath.

"Go on, husband, I'll meet you in the TARDIS," she assured him. "I need to talk to these three alone. I'll only be a moment."

The Doctor gave her a small frown but she smiled reassuringly before he nodded then glared at Jack a moment as he turned to head toward the door. Once he disappeared Olivia turned to the three and placed a hand on Aaron's and Jack's shoulders, her mother standing between them as Olivia glanced at each one.

"I can't explain why but you might not see me for a while after this," she explained in a hushed voice. "No calls, no texts, no visits, but that doesn't mean anything's gone wrong, ok? I'll contact you all as soon as I can."

"Olivia, what's wrong?" Aaron questioned, worry reflected in all their faces. "And where's Amy and Rory? I thought they were with you."

"We had to leave them at their place," Olivia answered, then recalled when the Doctor might see them again. "We'll…see them soon."

"Nova, what's goin' on?" Jack asked again, causing her to meet his gaze.

"I told you, I can't explain right now," she reminded him. "Maybe after it's all over…when I'm home for good."

"Home for good?" Joyce frowned in wonder.

"You're getting to be as bad as _him_, Olivia," Jack observed, irritably. "Just tell us! What happened to the straight forward, tell it like it is, Olivia Felton that worked for Torchwood, huh?!"

"Things have changed, Jack," she explained. "I've come to realize the necessity of secrets. I don't mean to do this to you but I wanted to let you know I'll be out of contact for a while. It's the least I can do for my family. I just can't tell you everything right now."

"We understand," Joyce nodded, narrowing her gaze at Jack, adding, "After all you've been through, of _course_ we understand, don't we, Jack?"

He sighed through his nose before nodding, muttering, "I guess."

"Be careful, babe," Aaron chimed in, hugging her again, then pulling away to let Joyce hug her again.

"I'll contact you when I can," she assured them. "Just don't expect it to be soon."

"Go, before you miss the alignment," Jack nodded, patting her arm before she turned and hurried out the door.

She ran into the TARDIS and shut the door behind her, hurrying up the stairs toward the console where the Doctor was working.

"What did you tell them?" he asked, not looking from the console.

"Just that I won't be in touch for a while," she replied, honestly. "They wanted a reason but I told them I couldn't tell them. They don't know what's going to happen."

"Good," he nodded, stepping up next to her, still not looking at her as he made adjustments. "Last thing I need is questions from the three of them."

"Can't blame them for worrying. It only means they care."

"I know," he sighed before looking to her with a smile. "So, quick stop to Craig's before we head for the alignment?"

"I thought you don't do social calls," she grinned, bumping shoulders with him.

"Well, let's try one out!" he grinned, running around the console. "What could possibly go wrong with a little social call, eh?!"

* * *

**A/N:** last time they went to Barcelona they didn't see the dogs with no noses, so I added one in there. reviews?


	30. Teleport

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 30: Teleport**_

"I wonder if they've gotten married yet," Olivia smiled as she and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, shutting the door behind them. The Doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders to lead her down the dark street. "You think he got the courage up to pop the question? It took 'em so long to finally admit their feelings."

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" he smiled as they stopped at a door and Olivia frowned in wonder when she noticed the lights around them flicker.

"Did you see that?" she wondered as he used the knocker on the door.

"Nope. I didn't see anything. I'm not noticing. This is just a social call."

"Well, yeah, but—"

"No, Liv, social call," he cut in, knocking on the door again.

"I'm coping on my own!" Craig announced as he opened the door, then looked surprised as the couple smiled, brightly at him.

"Hello, Craig," the Doctor grinned. "We're back."

"She didn't," Craig breathed. "How could she phone the two of _you_?!"

"How could _who_ phone us?" the Doctor wondered as Olivia frowned at him. "Nobody phoned me. We're just here. You remember Olivia, yes?" He leaned into the threshold to look inside the house saying, "Oh, you redecorated. I don't like it."

"It's a different house," Craig explained through a chuckle. "We moved."

"Yes, that's it," the Doctor smiled as Olivia shook her head, unable to keep herself from smiling.

"By the way, hi, Craig," she smiled, stepping toward him to hug him.

"Olivia, what are you two doing here?" Craig wondered, hugging her in return before stepping back.

"Social call," Olivia explained as she took the Doctor's arm. "I insisted we make one since we hadn't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm fine," he smiled in amused confusion.

"This is the bit where I say we're fine, too, isn't it?" the Doctor guessed. "We're fine, too. Good. Love to Sophie. Bye!"

"Wait, Doctor—!" Olivia called as he turned and pulled her back away from the door, but when they were a few paces away the porch light blinked, catching his attention and making him stop. "You didn't even tell him we're married, now!"

"Something's wrong," he murmured, making her frown at him as he turned them and pulled her back toward the door where Craig still stood, dragging her by the hand past him and into the house.

"Doctor?" Olivia frowned at him in question as he let go of her hand and pulled his Sonic out of his jacket to scan the area at the bottom of the stairs.

"On your own, you said," he recalled as he caught up with them before launching up the stairs after looking at his Sonic. "But you're not. You're _not_ on your own."

"Just…shh!" Craig warned as Olivia followed the Doctor up the stairs, Craig right behind her.

"Increased sulfur emissions, and _look_ at the state of this place," the Doctor continued, still heading up the stairs. "What are you not telling me?"

Olivia's eyes widened as she saw the diapers and toys littering the floor as Craig stepped closer to the Doctor when they stopped at a door.

"Doctor, please," Craig begged in a hushed tone.

"Shh."

"No, you, shh!"

"Shh!"

"Shh!"

"No, you, shh!"

"Stop shushing each other!" Olivia snapped in a hushed tone as well before the Doctor stepped toward the door at the top of the stairs. "Doctor, don't."

He gripped the knob and swept in, aiming his Sonic inside as he stepped through, calling, "Whatever you are get off this…planet."

Craig and Olivia hurried into the room after him as they heard crying and Olivia stopped as she looked around the baby's room.

"You've woken him!" Craig complained before sighing in frustration and stepping toward the crib, Olivia right next to him as the Doctor only stared at the crib. "Now he'll never get back to sleep."

"Can I?" Olivia asked, her eyes alight as she looked at Craig, asking permission to pick up the baby.

"Yeah," Craig smiled. "Go ahead."

Olivia grinned and reached into the crib, carefully lifting the baby and pulling him close in her arms so that he was sitting in the crook of her elbow, her other hand on his back for support, still crying.

"Aw, you poor thing," she pouted, hugging him close as his little arms instantly wrapped around her neck and she looked to the Doctor. "Did the bad Time Lord scare you? It's ok, he's not as scary as he looks."

"He's hungry," the Doctor blurted as she turned a smile to him, snuggling her cheek to the baby.

"I'll fix him something downstairs," Craig said, reaching for the baby but Olivia pulled back.

"I got him," she smiled as his cries started to settle down. "I need the practice."

Craig and the Doctor shot wide eyes at her before Craig glanced between them in astonishment, questioning, "You two are—? Is she—?"

"Not yet," Olivia answered his stammered question, bouncing the baby in her arms. "But we're planning to try. We're married now."

"Congratulations!" Craig grinned, heading toward Olivia to hug her, along with his baby then looked to the Doctor as he stepped toward the door. "Why didn't you say?"

"Slipped my mind," he muttered, deftly as he stared at Olivia with wide eyes and Craig shook his head, scoffing in amusement as he headed out the door and Olivia went to follow him, but the Doctor placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before she passed, stopping her. "Why did you tell him that?"

"Tell him what?" she frowned, adjusting the baby in her arms as he squirmed, excitedly. "That we're married? Because we are."

"No, about…us trying to have a baby," he corrected.

"Because we are," she frowned in wonder, making him sigh.

"Liv…it's the day after tomorrow," he blurted, and he saw it register in her eyes what he was talking about. She swallowed before looking to the baby as he started to fuss again, sensing her mood.

"Yeah, well…knowing _you_, you can avoid it pretty easily for several years," she muttered, stepping toward the door again, this time heading down the stairs with the Doctor trailing behind her.

She stepped into the chaotic mess of the kitchen as Craig ran around it, trying to fix a bottle for the baby as she set him into his highchair at the table, the Doctor stepping toward the fridge.

"So when you say on your own…" the Doctor trailed off for explanation as he opened the fridge and grabbed the milk carton to drink from it.

"Yes, I meant on my own with the baby, yes, because no one thinks I can cope on my own, which is so unfair because…I can't cope on my own with him," Craig replied, making both the Doctor and Olivia chuckle before he continued, "I can't, he just cries all the time! I mean, do they have off switches?!"

"Human beings?" the Doctor wondered, sitting at the table as the baby started crying again, Olivia grabbing the milk carton he set on the table to put it back in the fridge. "No. Believe me, I've checked."

"Yeah…way too often," Olivia chimed in, stepping back toward the table as Craig tried to comfort the baby.

"No, babies," Craig corrected him.

"Same difference," the Doctor retorted. "Sometimes this works, though."

The Doctor leaned forward, looking at the baby and lifted a finger to his lips, saying, "Shh."

The baby stopped crying as he stared at the Doctor who leaned back and went back to examining a magazine he'd started. Craig stared at the Doctor in awe as Olivia frowned in wonder, having never seen him do that before.

"Can you teach me to do that?" Craig pleaded.

"Probably not," the Doctor retorted, making Olivia roll her eyes.

"Oh, please, come on! I need something. I am rubbish at this!"

"At what?" Olivia frowned in wonder at Craig as she pulled a chair next to the baby to sit and play with him.

"Being a dad!" Craig replied, pacing around the table. "You read all the books, and they tell you you'll know what to do if you follow your instincts. I have _no_ instinct! That's what this weekend's about, trying to prove to people I can do this one thing well."

The Doctor laughed heartily at a children's book he'd been reading as Craig spoke and Olivia shook her head in shame.

"So what's his name?" she wondered with a smile.

"Will I blush?" the Doctor smirked, as he set the book down.

"No, we didn't call him 'The Doctor,'" Craig retorted, going to the sink.

"No, I didn't think you would," the Doctor muttered.

"He's called Alfie."

"Aw! That's cute!" Olivia grinned as the Doctor leaned closer to Alfie when he made his baby noises.

"And what are you doing here, anyway?" Craig wondered.

"Yes, he likes that, 'Alfie,' though, personally, he prefers to be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All."

"Sorry, what?" Craig frowned.

"That's what he calls himself," the Doctor replied.

"And how do you know that?"

"He speaks Baby," Olivia smirked at him before grinning at Alfie as he grabbed her finger and held onto it, the Doctor standing to pace around the table.

"Oh, of course he does," Craig muttered, sitting in the chair the Doctor vacated as the Doctor grabbed the pepper grinder off the counter. "I don't even know when his nappy needs changing. I'm the one who's supposed to be his dad."

Craig sighed, lowering his face to his hands and Olivia frowned at the Doctor in confusion as he ground pepper over Craig's shoulder before setting the grinder down and rubbing the other man's shoulders.

"Yeah, he's wondering where his mum is," the Doctor explained then asked, "Where _is_ Sophie?"

"She's gone away with Melina for the weekend," Craig explained, rubbing his eyes as Olivia turned back to Alfie to make funny faces at him. "She needs a rest."

"Liv, stop doing that, he doesn't like it, makes you look unattractive," the Doctor said, making Olivia fix her face before just grinning widely at Alfie as he still clung to her finger. "He says he only likes attractive women to be near him. No, Stormy! He's your dad. You can't just call him, 'Not Mum.'"

"Not mum?!" Craig echoed.

"That's you," the Doctor confirmed, finishing with his shoulders. "Also 'Not Mum,' that's me, and everybody else is…peasants. That's a bit unfortunate."

Olivia giggled as the Doctor fluffed Alfie's hair with a flare of his fingers then asked, "So I'm a peasant, am I?"

"Oh, no, Liv," the Doctor replied, walking around the highchair. "You're the 'Hot Girl That's Not Mum.' Babies seem to think you're rather attractive."

"I can be enchanting, sometimes," she smiled with a wink at him, making him smile, lovingly at her.

"What are you here for?" Craig wondered. "What's happening?"

"Just popped in to say hello," the Doctor replied, resuming his stroll around the kitchen and lifting a piece of chalk from the countertop next to him.

"You don't do that," Craig recalled as the Doctor licked the chalk then jumped in surprise at the flavor. "I checked upstairs when we moved in. It's real. And next door, both sides. They're humans. Is it the fridge? Are there aliens in my fridge?"

Olivia couldn't help but giggle at Craig's sarcasm, but soon hid her smile when the Doctor turned a comical glare at her.

"We just wanted to see you, Craig," she offered.

"Cross my hearts," the Doctor added, crossing his hearts. "Been knocking around, me and Liv, here. We just came from her twenty-fourth birthday visit to her mum's. A bit of a farewell tour for me. One last thing: popping in to see you, then we're off to see the Alignment of Exodor."

"What's the Alignment of Exodor?" Craig asked.

"Seventeen galaxies in perfect unison," the Doctor grinned, excitedly. "Meant to be spectacular. We can't miss it. Literally can't. It's locked in a time-stasis field. I get one crack at flying my TARDIS straight into it, if I get my dates right, which I have."

Olivia frowned at him when she noticed him look at the newspaper on the table then place it back on the table…then pick it up again for a better look.

"Sounds nice," Craig nodded, glancing between them. "A little second honeymoon for the two of you?"

"Our entire life together has been one big honeymoon," Olivia laughed.

"So this is me, popping in and popping out again, just being social, just having a laugh," the Doctor quickly explained, scanning through the paper before glancing at Olivia as he set it back down. "Never mind that."

Olivia and Craig glanced to the paper as the Doctor started pacing around the table again, Olivia's eyes growing wide as she stared at him.

"Never mind what?" Craig questioned, watching him carefully.

"Mmm…nothing," the Doctor lied as Craig stood to step around the table, following the Doctor.

"No, you've noticed something," Craig realized as the Doctor placed a hand over his face and spin completely around on his heel, Olivia admiring the way his long coat flared out behind him before he turned back to Craig. "You've got your noticing face on. I have nightmares about that face."

"You and me both," Olivia blurted as the Doctor groaned.

"Nope!" the Doctor chirped. "Given all that up. I am done noticing things."

The lights flickered, making Olivia look around the room and stand, Alfie finally releasing her finger as she marched toward the Doctor.

"Didn't even notice that, for example," the Doctor went on, grabbing Olivia's hand to drag her toward the door. "Well, got to go. Good seeing you, Craig. Goodbye, Stormageddon."

Alfie started crying as the Doctor dragged Olivia toward the door, Craig hurrying after them.

"No, wait, wait," Craig pleaded. "Can you do the shushing thing?"

"No, it only works once, and only on life forms with underdeveloped brains," the Doctor explained before trying to pull Olivia toward the door again.

"That why you never used it on me?" she wondered with a smirk.

"Yes. Well, mostly because I doubt you would actually shush if I did it. You're so stubborn!"

"Hang on, you said farewell tour," Craig recalled, stopping them halfway to the door. "What do you mean, farewell—?"

"Shh," the Doctor whispered, lifting a finger to his lips and Craig stopped mid-sentence, unable to finish it.

"Bye, Craig," Olivia called as the Doctor dragged her toward the door. He marched her out into the street, making her stumble behind him at his pace. "Theta! What are you doing?! Something's happened, hasn't it? We need to help!"

"Just go. Stop noticing," the Doctor muttered. "Just go. Stop noticing. Just go. Stop noticing. Just go."

"Theta!" Olivia urged as he stopped and turned to a flickering street light.

"No, Liv," he snapped, looking to the light. "Stop it. Am I noticing? No."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I am not," he argued, reaching into his pocket for the Sonic. "And what I am _not_ doing is scanning around for electrical fluctuations."

"Sure you're not," Olivia shot back, watching him as he looked to the results on his Sonic.

"Oh, shut up, you," he muttered, marching toward the TARDIS and she hurriedly followed him. "We're just dropping in on a friend. The last thing I need right now is a patina of teleport energy."

"Theta, wait!" Olivia called, and he turned to grab her arm, pulling her closer and making her gasp as he shoved her into the door of the TARDIS, pinning her there with his body and his burning gaze. Her breathing quickened as she met his stare, licking her lips. "Theta?"

"I'm going," he growled, gripping her arms tightly. "Do you hear me? Going. Not staying, going. I am through saving them. I'm going away now."

He sighed, setting his forehead against hers, unmoving as they closed their eyes.

"No, my love," she whispered. "You're not done saving them…because _I'm_ one of them."

A muscle twitched in his jaw when he clenched it, pulling back to stare into her eyes. He sighed through his nose before leaning toward her and planting his lips to hers in a hard kiss, pulling away with a smack.

"You'll be the death of me."

"I know, but you'll still love me, won't you?"

"Of course, Sweet Liv."

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

"Vroom!" the Doctor cheered, using the controller in his hands to control the helicopter in the toy store, a group of children around him, watching him as Olivia stocked shelves of toys nearby, smiling. "It goes up-tiddly-up, it goes down-diddly-down, for only £49.99. Which I, personally, think is a bit steep. But then again, it's your parents' cash, and they'll only waste it on boring stuff, like lamps and vegetables."

"Yawn!" Olivia called, stepping up next to him to watch the helicopter start to wobble in the air.

"Ah, nobody panic," the Doctor warned. "But I appear to be losing control."

"Doctor, you're gonna hit Craig—!" Olivia gasped when the helicopter landed behind Craig as he walked in pushing Alfie in his stroller, knocking something over behind him and catching his attention.

"Oopsy, daisy," the Doctor blurted, sitting on the edge of the small table behind him before waving at the kids and they grouped around he and Olivia. "Guys, guys. Ladies and gentlemen, while I deal with this awkward moment, you go and find your parents/guardians. Uh, try in…lamps."

He stood, giving one of the kids a high-five as Olivia ruffled another child's hair before he ran off.

"Craig!" she grinned as he approached.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Craig wondered.

"Oh, I'm the Doctor," the Doctor he replied, pointing to the badge attached to his suspenders. "I work in a shop now. So does Liv. Here to help. Look, they gave us badges with our names on them, in case we forget who we are. Very thoughtful, as that does happen to me."

"But you were leaving," Craig recalled. "The Alignment of…Exodor. What about that? One chance to see it, you said."

"Well, we were on our way," the Doctor muttered. "I…saw a shop, got a job! You got to live in the moment."

He turned to step away, and Craig moved to follow.

"Craig, look out for Yappy!" Olivia called, making him frown as she knelt down.

"What?"

"Yappy," she smiled, lifting a little robot dog as the Doctor stepped up next to her as she stood again. "He's the robot dog."

"Not as much fun as I remember," the Doctor added, scratching Yappy's chin as if he were a real dog.

"You look tired," Olivia told Craig, making him sigh.

"I haven't slept, have I?" Craig complained, rubbing his eyes. "I still can't stop him crying. I even tried singing to him last night."

"Yeah, he did mention that," the Doctor replied as Alfie made little baby noises. "He thought you were crying, too. He didn't get a wink. Yappy, say goodbye to Craig and Stormageddon." He lifted Yappy in front of Craig's face, then waved it at Alfie, saying, "Goodbye, Craig! Goodbye Stormageddon!"

"Sorry, he didn't get any sleep either," Olivia told Craig, apologizing for his odd behavior as the Doctor set Yappy down.

"What was that?" he suddenly asked, making Olivia frown at him in wonder as he stepped to the other side of the store, making she and Craig follow.

"You're here for a reason, aren't you?" Craig demanded as the Doctor lay on his stomach, looking under something before standing again. "You've noticed something, and you're investigating it, and because it's _you_ it's gonna be dangerous and alien."

"Well…it might not be," Olivia replied, unconvincingly.

"Olivia, I live here," he urged as the Doctor stepped next to her. "I need to know."

"No, you don't," the Doctor shook his head.

"My baby lives here, my son," Craig insisted.

Olivia looked up at the Doctor expectantly as he twisted his mouth in thought before speaking.

"Sheila Clark went missing Tuesday," the Doctor began in a low tone. "Tiff Gosh, last seen Friday, Tom Luca, last seen Sunday."

Craig instantly turned to Alfie's stroller, grabbing the newspaper he'd gotten as the Doctor looked around and Olivia stepped around the stroller to play with Alfie.

"Why is none of this on the front page?" Craig wondered.

"Oh, page one has exclusive on Nina, a local girl who got kicked off Britain's Got Talent," the Doctor explained. "These people are on pages seven, nineteen, twenty-two, because no one's noticed yet. They're far too excited about Nina's emotional journey, which, in fairness, _is_ quite inspiring."

The Doctor grabbed the stroller and started wheeling Alfie toward the door, Olivia following as Craig still examined the paper.

"And what else?" Craig questioned, following them.

"The power fluctuations coincide with the disappearances," Olivia explained as they stepped out of the store and into the children's department of the mall.

"That's just the council putting in new cables, isn't it?" Craig wondered as they all stopped at a blocked off lift.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor drawled, sarcastically, hitting his head with the heel of his hand. "That's it. Mystery solved. Wasting my time."

"Doctor, stop being an ass," Olivia warned as he pulled out his Sonic and used it on the lift.

"Now, you can go home and Liv and I can go to Exodor. Goodbye. And here's the lift."

"It says it's out of order," Craig noticed.

"Not anymore," the Doctor replied, pulling the tape crossed in front of the door. "See? Here to help."

The doors opened and he wheeled the stroller in, Craig following.

"It says danger!" he noticed as the Doctor and Olivia remained outside the lift.

"Oh, rubbish!" the Doctor retorted. "Lifts aren't dangerous."

"Do I look like I'm stupid?" Craig shot back, stepping into the threshold to keep the door from sealing, and Alfie made a few noises from his stroller.

"Quiet, Stormy," the Doctor laughed.

"Doctor, he's not gonna give up," Olivia warned him making him groan in frustration.

"Alright, there's more," he muttered, stepping into the lift, Olivia with him as he used the Sonic on the control panel, hitting one of the buttons and the doors sealed. "Just between the four of us. Don't want to frighten the punters. Someone's been using a teleport relay right here in this shop. Missing people last seen in this area."

"CCTV's been wiped," Olivia chimed in. "I checked."

"A teleport?" Craig questioned in disbelief. "A teleport, like a beam me up teleport, like you see in Star Trek?"

"Yup," Olivia chirped. "Someone's been using a Star Trek teleport. Could be disguised as anything."

"But a teleport in a shop?" Craig frowned. "That's ridiculous!"

The lights flickered, making it dark for a split second then there was a soft glow, Olivia and the Doctor instantly noticing their surroundings had changed.

"What was that?" Craig wondered. "Was that the lights again?"

"Yes, that's it. It's always the lights," the Doctor replied in a high-pitched tone as he glanced behind Craig, Olivia's eyes shooting wide when she saw it too.

"Why did you say it like that?" Craig wondered.

"Like what?" the Doctor replied before deepening his voice to ask again, "Like – Like – Like what?"

"Like that, in that high-pitched voice."

"Just keep looking at me, Craig. Right at me, just keep looking."

"Why?"

"Well, because – because—"

Craig started to turn around but Olivia quickly stepped between him and the Doctor to grab his arms and turn her back to him.

"Because he knows, Craig," she instantly said as the Doctor started adjusting his Sonic. "He knows and he's trying to understand it."

"Knows what?" Craig frowned.

"He knows that I love you," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and making the Doctor pause to stare at her with wide eyes.

"You love me?" Craig breathed in wide-eyed shock.

"Yes, Craig," she hurried on. "It's you. It's always been you. I was the one that told the Doctor we should come here. I came here for you."

"Me?"

The Doctor resumed adjusting his Sonic.

"Is that so surprising?" she asked, glancing at the Doctor to see his progress.

"Olivia, are you going to kiss me?"

"Yes, Craig. Would you like that? I know _I_ would. The Doctor's been keeping me in good practice."

She puckered her lips dramatically, closing her eyes and he instantly started pulling back as he laughed.

"Olivia, no, I-I can't. We're both taken!" he laughed and looked behind him as he was trying to escape her. "Oh, my god!"

"Ok, we can just hold hands, if that makes you more comfortable!"

"What is happening?!" Craig demanded as Olivia pulled her hands down to reach into her jacket pocket for her own Sonic, the Doctor still trying to adjust his.

"Well, first off, I don't really love you, except as a friend!" Olivia replied as they caught the sound of marching and she shot her gaze up behind Craig. "Doctor!"

"See it!" he called.

"What is that?!" Craig shouted.

"Liv! The panel!" the Doctor ordered, and they both aimed at the panel he was talking about, beams of light each coming from their Sonics and they were soon back in the lift before the thing that had been marching toward them could reach them.

"Quick reverse," the Doctor explained.

"Ok, what the _hell_ just happened?!" Craig screamed as Olivia leaned back against one of the walls with a sigh before they stepped out of the lift when it opened.

"They must've linked the teleport relay to the lift, but I've fused it," the Doctor explained as they stepped out, Craig following behind the couple with Alfie. "They can't use that again. They're stuck up there on their spaceship."

"What were those things?" Craig questioned, making them stop and Olivia glanced to the Doctor, who nodded.

She looked to Craig and met his gaze evenly, replying, "Cybermen."

* * *

**A/N: **reviews?


	31. Cybers

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 31: Cybers**_

The three stared up at the night sky as the Doctor aimed his Sonic up at it, scanning it.

"It's gotta be up there, somewhere," the Doctor insisted, lowering his Sonic and tucking it away in his jacket. "I can't get a fix. It must be shielded."

"But you fused the teleport," Craig recalled. "You sorted it. They can't come back."

"No, no, no, we just bought ourselves a little time," the Doctor corrected. "I've still gotta work out what they're doing before I can stop it."

"But if they've got the teleport and they're that evil, why haven't they invaded already?" Craig wondered.

"Craig, take Alfie and go," the Doctor instructed, making Olivia frown at him, but both turned their gaze to Craig when he responded.

"No."

"No?" the Doctor echoed incredulously.

"No. I remember from last time. People got killed. People that didn't know you. I know where's safest for me and Alfie, and that's right next to you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, you _always_ win. You _always_ survive. Look at Olivia. You two are married now, I mean, that's gotta say something."

Olivia smiled as she looked to the Doctor who gave a small chuckle, wrapping an arm around Olivia's shoulders, smirking, "Those were the days."

"I can help you," Craig insisted. "I'm staying."

"Craig," the Doctor sighed, his expression twisting in frustration before he blurted, "Alright. Alright, maybe those days aren't quite over yet. Let's go investigate. I mean, there's no _immediate_ danger now."

Olivia wrapped her arms around the Doctor's chest as they all walked back into the mall, letting him go to hold his hand as they went by the jewelry counter.

"Good afternoon, Val," the Doctor greeted the woman behind the counter.

"Hi, Val!" Olivia grinned, waving to her as well, and Val waved back with a smile.

The Doctor patted Craig's shoulder with a smile and was about to head toward Val when Craig stopped him.

"Where am I investigating?" he asked.

"Well, look around," the Doctor replied. "Ask questions. People like it when you're with a baby. Babies are sweet. People talk to you. That's why I usually take a human with me."

"So I'm your baby?" Craig retorted.

"You're my baby!" the Doctor grinned before hugging him.

"You ever call me a baby, I'll slap you," Olivia muttered as Craig wheeled Alfie away, shaking his head in exasperation and the Doctor slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You're not a baby, Liv, you're my girl," he smiled, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as they stepped toward Val.

"I hope you don't mind my saying, Doctor," Val began as the Doctor lifted a pair of designer sunglasses and examined them before putting them on. "But I think you look ever so sweet, you and your partner and the baby."

"Partner," the Doctor echoed, whipping off the sunglasses and Olivia frowned between them. "Yes, I like it. Is it better than companion?"

"Uh, Doctor," Olivia called in warning, but he held a finger to his lips as he glanced at her, shushing her. She tried to speak but found it impossible…as if her words had been stolen and she stared at him incredulously.

"Companion?" Val echoed as Olivia still tried to speak. "Sounds old-fashioned. There's no need to be coy these days."

Olivia finally found her voice again and leaned on the counter to ask Val, "Have you seen anything unusual around here, recently?"

"Well…"

"Yes, yes?" the Doctor murmured.

"Mary Warnock saw Dom Petheridge snogging Andrea Groom outside the conservative club on his so-called day off golfing."

"Yeah," the Doctor chirped unamused as Olivia bowed her head with a sigh before standing tall again. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

He placed air kisses on both her cheeks before grabbing Olivia's hand to pull her away.

"And then there's that silver rat thing," Val called after them, making them stop and turn back to her.

"What?" the Doctor grinned.

They were soon in the toy store again where Val claimed she'd seen it and Olivia held a net on a tall stick, frowning at the Doctor as he ducked under the table to scan beneath it.

"So it was a silver rat with a glowing red eye?" Olivia asked Val as the Doctor slid out from under the table and handed a stuffed dog to Olivia he'd found under the table.

"Yes," Val replied. "Then it zizzed off. I wanted to get one for my nephew, but stockroom say there's no such item.

"I bet they do," the Doctor murmured as Olivia placed the dog on the table.

"Well, what was it then?" Val questioned. "Answer me that."

"Uh…Doctor, Craig's in trouble," Olivia called, seeing him knock over a rack of bras with the security guard and another girl that worked in the store standing with him.

"What's all that hullabaloo?" Val wondered, hearing the racks fall as they all whirled toward the scene.

"Um, that'll be my partner," the Doctor replied, taking the net from Olivia to hand it to Val before grabbing Olivia's hand to drag her toward Craig. "Hello, everyone! Here to help!"

"Hello, Doctor," the worker and the security guard grinned. "Hi, Olivia."

"Hi," she grinned back, before pointing between the two, asking, "Has anyone seen a silver rat?"

They both frowned at her and shook their heads before she looked to the Doctor with a shrug. "Long shot."

"I see you've met my friend Craig," the Doctor smiled, introducing Craig.

"Nice uniform, George," Olivia smiled at the guard, pinching the tip of his collar.

"Thank you, Olivia," he smiled. "If he's with you two, that's alright, then."

"Sorry!" the blonde girl, Kelly, snapped. "I thought he was hassling me, because that's the last thing I need today, because Shona's not turned up, right? So I'm doing twice the work for the same money if you don't mind—"

"Shh," the Doctor whispered, silencing Kelly instantly.

"God, I love you," Olivia sighed and he gave her a wink.

"Please teach me how to do that," Craig begged.

"No," the Doctor replied before turning to Kelly again and saying, "Hold on, un-shh. Shona?"

"My supervisor," she replied. "She's meant to be in today, but never showed up."

"Where did you see her last?" Olivia asked.

"Last night," Kelly replied. "She was gonna check the dressing rooms before closing up."

The Doctor grabbed Olivia's hand and dragged her away, Craig wheeling Alfie after them. They all trailed into the dressing room, slowing as they entered to see anything out of the ordinary.

"How'd you do that?" Craig asked the Doctor, while the Time Lord peeked into the curtained rooms.

"Do what?" Olivia wondered, peeking into the room on her side.

"It's a power, isn't it?" Craig went on. "Some sort of weird, alien, hypnotic power. I bet you excrete some sort of gas, makes people love you."

"I'm human, so how do you explain why they like me?" Olivia wondered.

"You're just…loveable," Craig blurted.

"Aw! thanks!" she grinned before a scream sounded from behind the curtain the Doctor looked behind.

"Ah! Sorry, madam! I'd try that in red if I were you," the Doctor rushed through before moving on to the next room.

"I'm right though, aren't I?" Craig asked them.

"Well, you love me," the Doctor told him. "I've never excreted any weird, alien gases at you."

"I don't love you," Craig retorted before looking to Olivia. "Or you, so don't start that again."

"Well, you didn't excrete anything to get _me_ to love you," Olivia chimed in then smirked, "That was after."

"Olivia _Felton_! Behave!" the Doctor scolded as Alfie made little baby noises, catching the Doctor's attention.

"Yes, she's loveable, and yes I know. Of course he does. Of course you do, Craig. We're partners."

"Yeah, but I did exactly what you would've done, and I nearly got arrested!" Craig pointed out as the Doctor pulled his Sonic out to scan the area.

"Stormy thinks you should believe in yourself more," the Doctor told him.

"Great, so now my baby's reviewing me," Craig muttered as the Doctor stepped toward one of the rooms.

"Here," he called, making Craig step closer as Olivia remained with Afie, tickling his baby tummy and making him give his cute baby laugh. "Right here, last night, a Cyberman took Shona."

"A Cyber_man_?" Craig echoed. "I thought it was a little, silver rat."

"It's not a rat," the Doctor retorted, stepping out of the room again, tucking his Sonic away. "It's a Cybermat."

"Alright," Craig sighed. "Have a go at me just because I don't know the names."

"Oh, he won't do that, will you _Doctor_?" Olivia scolded, glaring at the Doctor and he patted Craig on the shoulder.

"Of course not," he nodded, heading out of the dressing room. "Come on. Cybermats are infiltrators. Very small, very deadly. They collect power like bees collect pollen. One of them's been sucking the electrical energy from this area."

"But why a shop?" Olivia wondered. "Why not a nuclear plant?"

"Ok, why?" Craig asked.

"Let's ask it," the Doctor suggested. "We wait for the shop to shut, we stake the place out, we grab ourselves a Cybermat."

"And this is just a coincidence, is it?" Craig retorted.

"What is?"

"Aliens in Colchester. Aliens, _twice_, in my life, happening to me just when you turn up."

Olivia looked to Alfie as he began to fuss and tried to shush him as the two continued to argue.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is not my fault, Craig."

"Guys, you're making the baby cry," Olivia cut in.

"It's his nappy," the Doctor explained. "He's mentioned it twice."

"Yeah, well sorry. I don't speak baby, do I?" Craig snapped.

"There's a changing station near electrical goods," Olivia told him and Craig turned to march Alfie away down the walkway.

"Craig! It's a coincidence! It happens. It's what the universe does for—"

"Theta," Olivia cut in with a breath, drawing his attention to her as she stared down one of the isles and he followed her gaze, freezing in his place.

"…fun."

They stared across the isle at Amy and Rory as a little girl with a bowtie hair band stopped the couple, asking for her autograph. Olivia stepped forward to greet them, but the Doctor gripped her arm, making her turn a frown to him but he only shook his head. She nodded in understanding, stepping next to him and letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. Amy and Rory walked away as the little girl looked to her mother excitedly then pointed toward the Doctor and Olivia. They both straightened and frowned, looking confused, the Doctor panicking but Olivia looked around then smiled when she looked at the board next to them.

"Doctor, look," she murmured, tugging on his arm and making him look up to the board as well, and he smiled, warmly at the sight of Amy's super-imposed image next to a bottle of perfume called Petrichor, the tagline: For the Girl Who's Tired of Waiting.

"Amelia Pond," he smiled, proudly.

"You could've said hello," Olivia murmured. "I'm sure they'd have been happy to see you."

"And then what, Liv?" he sighed. "I'll tell them what's happening, they'll put themselves in danger following me again. What if they don't survive this one?"

"I guess you have a point," she nodded, keeping her gaze on him, but he didn't look at her. "But you miss them."

"Of course I do. But I can't risk it. They're safe. That's good."

"That's boring."

"Shut up."

Olivia couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.

* * *

_That Night..._

Olivia, Craig, the Doctor and little Alfie kept hidden as George, the security guard, walked by them in the shopping center and as soon as he was completely out of sight, they all stood and the Doctor scanned the room with his Sonic.

"Right, let's be having you, then, Cybermat," the Doctor muttered, still using his Sonic, and Alfie began crying in his stroller.

"Shh!" Craig pleaded with Alfie then asked the Doctor, "Can't you put that on quiet?"

"No!" the Doctor retorted in a hushed tone. "It's a Sonic Screwdriver! Sonic equals sound!"

"Here, take this," Olivia offered, handing something to Craig. "I got it on discount. Ten percent off. It's a papoose…whatever that is."

"Why do I need a papoose?" Craig questioned, taking the thing to put it on.

"Alfie wants you attached to him," the Doctor explained. "You are _far_ too slow when he summons you."

Olivia grinned at Alfie and reached into his stroller to lift him, tickling him and making him squirm in her arms, happily.

"When's he going to stop giving me marks?" Craig wondered, struggling with the papoose.

"Never!" the Doctor shot back. "It's parenthood. Couldn't you have just got a babysitter?"

Alfie made a baby noise as they crept forward.

"No," the Doctor said to Alfie. "_Any_ babysitter. It doesn't have to be a hot one."

"Regular little lady's man, aren't ya?" Olivia grinned bouncing Alfie on her arm.

"I told everyone I know I didn't need their help this weekend," Craig reminded them. "They won't even answer my calls. I didn't know there was gonna be an invasion of Cybermen. Olivia, can you help me with this thing?"

She nodded before handing Alfie over the Doctor.

"Hold onto him a sec while I help Craig?" she smiled as the Doctor took Alfie, almost awkwardly.

"Why can't we put him in the pram?" he wondered, adjusting Alfie in his arms as Olivia stepped toward Craig to help him with the papoose.

"He doesn't wanna be in there any more," Olivia explained. "That's why he was getting fussy. He's wants to stretch out."

"Don't tell me you speak Baby, too," Craig pleaded.

"Not the way he does," she replied before stepping back toward the Doctor to take Alfie, ready to put him in the papoose. "It's called Maternal Instincts."

Olivia held Alfie toward Craig who took him just as they all heard a beeping, making them turn to see the Cybermat on the floor rushing toward them and the Doctor trapped it in the net he brought with him.

"Ha!" he laughed.

"Shh!" she snapped as Craig only stared huge eyes at the thing, his jaw nearly on the floor as he held tight to Alfie.

"That's very odd," the Doctor muttered. "Must be on low power. Or I'm better at that then I remember."

The Doctor grabbed the Cybermat from under the net and stood, holding it up for Craig and Olivia to see.

"Oh, is that it?" Craig smiled.

"Yeah," the Doctor smiled back.

"Oh! It's quite cute," Craig confessed. "Look at that."

The paneling came down on the nose to reveal jagged teeth, making them all gasp. Olivia pulled her Sonic out to use it on the Cybermet as the Doctor held it in place to keep it from attacking.

"Metal rat, real mouth!" Craig realized. "Metal rat, real mouth! Metal rat, real mouth!"

"Yes, I know it is," the Doctor retorted. "Stop screaming!"

"Guys! Shut up!" Olivia snapped.

They all froze when they heard a terrified scream from somewhere in the mall.

"Come on!" the Doctor chirped, grabbing Olivia's hand and dragging her after him, leaving Craig to struggle with the papoose and Alfie.

They ran down a set of stairs leading to the circuit breakers. The Doctor used his Sonic as a torch, leading them through the darkness. Olivia stepped ahead of him when she noticed a torch on the floor and bent to pick it up, but stopped dead when she looked into the hall ahead of her.

"Doctor, it's George," she said, seeing the man lying on the ground ahead of her.

"George," the Doctor called and stepped toward him to examine him but he was thrown back when something hit him in the face.

Olivia screamed as she stared up at the Cyberman that had knocked out the Doctor as it turned to her. But instead of coming after her as she thought it would, it bent down and grabbed George, dragging him away and she turned to the unconscious Doctor.

"Theta!" she called, shaking him. "Theta, wake up!"

"Olivia!" Craig called, hurrying toward them before kneeling next to the Doctor with Alfie as she looked up at him. "What happened?!"

The Doctor groaned as he awoke, and Olivia looked to him with a sigh of relief.

"Doctor, are you alright?" she hoped.

"I've been – I've been chipped – chapped – chopped," he explained, letting Craig and Olivia help him up. "The Cyberman…it killed George."

"It dragged him away," Olivia explained what she saw to the Doctor as he leaned against a wall, feeling dizzy from the blow. "It must have taken him back to the ship."

"The Cybermen are here?" Craig asked as Olivia let the Doctor lean on her to lead him to the exit. "But you said—"

"Yeah, I know what I said. I say a lot of things. But I fused the teleport. It should've taken them days to repair."

The Doctor stumbled around, using his Sonic as a torch again and he leaned heavily against Olivia.

"Are you ok?" Craig hoped.

"Oh, I should be dead," the Doctor replied. "But the arm it chopped me with…it was damaged. Old spare parts."

"It must have changed the missing people," Olivia realized as the Doctor shook his head, trying to shake away his dizziness.

"Changed the missing into Cybermen?" Craig asked. "Why didn't they change you?"

"Long story," the Doctor murmured. "I'm not exactly compatible."

"It didn't come after me either," Olivia explained. "I was sitting with you, and it only grabbed George to take it away."

"Probably not able to carry two at a time, since it's spare parts, and _why_ are they using spare parts?" the Doctor wondered. "Why? Everything I find out makes less sense."

"Doctor, listen to me," Craig pleaded. "If the Cybermen are here, then we're not safe. We've gotta go. We've gotta get back to base."

"We've got a base?" the Doctor wondered, making Olivia shake her head and lower it into her hand. "When did we get a base?"

"He means the house, Doctor," Olivia replied. "His house."

"Oh, right…base," he muttered before grabbing Olivia's hand and pulling her forward before stopping and stumbling back into her.

"Doctor, take it slow, for once," she murmured. "You're still rattled."

"Help me out, sweet Liv," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded, letting him sling an arm around her neck to help him along as Craig led the way to his house.

* * *

**A/N:** reviews?


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